“May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable to you….” These words from Psalm 19 preface the words of preachers from Andrews to Atlantic Beach. The Gospel or Good News of Jesus Christ—the saving and life-giving news of God’s love and forgiveness for you and for me—proclaimed in pulpits in congregations of every size on Sundays and every day in our words and deeds.

Often in our Lutheran congregations, the preacher is a seminary-trained and educated professional. Here in the North Carolina Synod, approximately 70 congregations have fewer than 50 people in weekly worship and more than half of these congregations have pastoral vacancies. In these small communities of the faithful, odds are high that the preacher may be a lay minister, a person whose gifts or abilities have been encouraged by others, who has spent fifteen months being trained, and who now travels to congregations to preach, helping our synod fill pulpits where they would otherwise be empty. The hope of this prayer before our sermons is always that we would speak from a place of deep listening and sharing what we have heard God speaking for that particular time and place.

Certified Lay Preaching is part of the NC Synod Advanced Lay Ministries program. Our lay preachers begin with the study of Lutheran Confessions and Old and New Testament Survey courses all taught by seminary professors. In time, they begin to learn the craft of preaching in a process currently facilitated by the Rev. Dr. Mark Fitzsimmons, himself an LTSS alumnus and former faculty member, retired parish pastor, and intentional interim pastor. Lay preachers, like rostered ministers of this church, come out of our congregations because someone has noticed their gifts and asked them, “Have you ever thought about …preaching? …sharing your faith story? …talking about how God has been active in your life?”

Our stories are part of God’s story and that means everyone has a Good News story to tell. Who do you see in your midst who may have the gifts for lay preaching?

If you would like to explore lay preaching or make a recommendation for this ministry, please contact Deacon Wendy Roberts (704-502-3898). Application and more information can be found at Advanced Lay Ministries, North Carolina Synod.