WHAT is a Certified Lay Minister (CLM)?

On the most basic level a Certified Lay Minister is exactly what it sounds like – a lay person that is certified to minister and build up the body of Christ. CLMs serve in a variety of volunteer and some paid roles including discipleship, age-level ministry, congregational care, pulpit supply, etc. The Transitional Book of Doctrines and Discipline defines a CLM as “a professing member of a local congregation who has received special training in Wesleyan doctrine and our denominational polity, and endorsement by the church in order to serve the church as laity. This category encompasses all those who were previously named certified lay servants, certified lay speakers, certified lay ministers, deaconesses, home missioners, and lay missioners. Certified lay ministers may work in any area of the church’s ministry, including leading, teaching, proclaiming/preaching, evangelizing, worship, and caring ministry…”

(Read further: https://globalmethodist.org/what-we-believe/ -> Part Five -> Paragraph 502)

WHO is CLM training for?

Anyone that is serving in a church volunteer of staff position that wishes to become more equipped as a lay minister! It is open to any professing member of a local Global Methodist congregation that has been a part of that congregation for at least two years and receives a written recommendation by the pastor and endorsement by a majority vote of the pastor-parish relations committee and the charge conference. Candidates for CLM will also need to complete the required training, pass a national background check, and be approved by the conference Board of Ministry. Other than the final step of BOM approval, the other steps do not have to be sequential.

WHEN is CLM training?

A total of Five Courses are required to become a CLM. The Foundational and Bible Courses are required, as well as three Specialized Courses. To foster community and shared development, we will be offering three “cohorts” over the course of 2025-2026 with each cohort having the opportunity to go through Foundational, Bible, and three specialized courses (Leadership, Preaching, and Worship) together. Participants will pick one cohort to cover all their courses: 

• Online Cohort – Meets via Zoom over a series of Monday evenings starting September 22, 2025 at 7pm. Sessions will be held approximately every other Monday and will run for two hours each.

• Fall Immersion Cohort – Meets from 1pm on Thursday, November 6 through 3pm on Sunday, November 9, 2025 at Valdosta First Methodist. Participants will be responsible for their own travel and lodging arrangements. Registration Deadline November 2nd.

• Spring Immersion Cohort – Meets from 1pm on Thursday, March 19 through 3pm on Sunday, March 22, 2026 at Trinity on the Hill, Augusta, GA. Participants will be responsible for their own travel and lodging arrangements. 
  

  We will also offer one-day advanced courses for participants who have previously started CLM training and need to complete their requirements, as well as for those who need additional courses for their three-year recertification. Participants in this category can also register for individual courses within the cohorts by special request, provided they have not taken the course previously. The following are advanced courses scheduled for 2025-2026:

  • Advance Preaching - Saturday, February 7, 2026 at Americus First Methodist

  • Missions - Saturday, February 7, 2026 at Americus First Methodist

  • Spiritual Formation - Saturday, March 21, 2026 at Trinity on the Hill, Augusta, GA

This sounds awesome! HOW do I sign up for CLM training?

Click this LINK to register. There is a registration fee due before you may enroll in your first course: $375 for those participating in the full program, or $75 per course for those signing up for individual courses. Please note that travel and lodging expenses for in person courses are not included in the training cost, but some meals will be covered. Please email Patty Tucker at clm@sgagmc.org if you have any questions about the program or registration.