Licensing of Pastoral Workers and Readers

Six Pastoral Workers and sixteen Readers were licensed at a special Eucharist service at Chester Cathedral on Saturday 13 October. The service was led by the Rt Revd Keith Sinclair, Bishop of Birkenhead.

Pastoral Workers and Readers are theologically trained and authorised lay people. Both groups have completed the Foundations for Ministry course followed by two further years of training.

Reader training includes Old and New Testament studies, preaching, worship, mission and discipleship. Pastoral Worker training includes different elements of pastoral care with listening being a key skill. Both groups are licensed by the Bishop. Their ministries are different but complementary; both are vital to the life and mission of the Church.

Readers lead worship, preach and make connections between faith and everyday life. They work to pioneer new opportunities for mission, bring God into conversation and teach the faith. Some take Communion to the sick and do other pastoral work. As informed lay people, Readers are not only a skilled resource for the Church, but they also bring the fruits of their training and experience as readers into their communities and workplaces where they live out their faith and witness to Christ.

Pastoral Workers visit those who are ill and take Holy Communion to the housebound. They support the bereaved and prepare people for marriage and baptism. They run craft groups, lunch clubs, prayer meetings and home groups and do much more besides. They also lead teams and support and enable others who work in pastoral ministry. Pastoral Workers offer their skills within the Church and outside it, partly through the many contacts the Church makes with people at significant times in their lives, and partly through simply being out and about and known within their communities and workplaces.

Is God calling you? You can find out more about the different vocation routes available in the Diocese of Chester. 

View photographs from the service on Facebook.