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: 

2026 Fall Immersion Cohort

• Fall 2026 Immersion Weekend: Brunswick, GA @ The Chapel 

• Thursday, October 22nd @ 1 p.m. through Sunday, October 25th until 3:00 p.m. 

2026 - 2027 Online Cohort

• Online Zoom Cohort  

• 2 Mondays per month from 7–9 p.m. 

• September, 2026- Foundations

• October, 2026: Bible

• November 2026: Leadership 

• January, 2027: Preaching

• February, 2027: Worship 

• March 2027: Follow-up and Completion 

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 Paige Madden at clm@sgagmc.org if you have any questions about the program or registration.