A lay reader is a layperson authorized by a bishop

Bishop

A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...

 of the Anglican Church to read some parts of a service of worship

Service of worship

In the Protestant denominations of Christianity, a service of worship is a meeting whose primary purpose is the worship of God. The phrase is normally shortened to service. It is also commonly called a worship service...

. They are members of the congregation called to preach or lead services, but not called to full-time ministry.

Anglican lay readers are licensed by the bishop to a particular parish

Parish

A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...

 or to the diocese

Diocese

A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...

 at large. In the former case, in some areas, their tenure expires with the resignation of the parish priest. In the Anglican tradition, the role of licensed lay readers, whose prominence varies by region, is similar to that of a non-conformist lay preacher, and can involve:

• Conducting Mattins, Evensong
  Evening Prayer (Anglican)
  Evening Prayer is a liturgy in use in the Anglican Communion and celebrated in the late afternoon or evening...
  
  , and Compline
  Compline
  Compline is the final church service of the day in the Christian tradition of canonical hours. The English word Compline is derived from the Latin completorium, as Compline is the completion of the working day. The word was first used in this sense about the beginning of the 6th century by St...
  
  
• Reciting the Litany
  Litany
  A litany, in Christian worship and some forms of Jewish worship, is a form of prayer used in services and processions, and consisting of a number of petitions...
  
  
• Publishing banns of marriage
  Banns of marriage
  The banns of marriage, commonly known simply as the "banns" or "bans" are the public announcement in a Christian parish church of an impending marriage between two specified persons...
  
  
• Preaching, teaching, and assisting in pastoral care
  Pastoral care
  Pastoral care is the ministry of care and counseling provided by pastors, chaplains and other religious leaders to members of their church or congregation, or to persons of all faiths and none within institutional settings. This can range anywhere from home visitation to formal counseling provided...
  
  
• Conducting funeral
  Funeral
  A funeral is a ceremony for celebrating, sanctifying, or remembering the life of a person who has died. Funerary customs comprise the complex of beliefs and practices used by a culture to remember the dead, from interment itself, to various monuments, prayers, and rituals undertaken in their honor...
  
  s (this often requires additional specific permission from the diocesan bishop
  Diocesan bishop
  A diocesan bishop — in general — is a bishop in charge of a diocese. These are to be distinguished from suffragan bishops, assistant bishops, coadjutor bishops, auxiliary bishops, metropolitans, and primates....
  
  , and the agreement of the family of the deceased)
• Distributing (though not celebrating) Holy Communion.

Although in many parishes, these duties can be performed by any reasonably competent lay person who has been properly instructed, the key to the Reader's license is that he or she is permitted to do them in the absence of a priest. Licensed Readers are entitled to wear a blue tippet

Tippet

A tippet is a stole or scarf-like narrow piece of clothing, worn over the shoulders. They evolved in the fourteenth century from long sleeves and typically had one end hanging down to the knees...

 with choir dress.

The first female lay readers were licensed during the First World War due to the shortage of men. They existed in 22 Dioceses in England and 1 diocese in Canada. The first group were called "Women Messengers". There was then a gap until 1969 until more female lay readers were appointed.

In the Church of England

Church of England

The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...

, the office is sometimes known simply as Reader. Readers are the only nationally accredited and canonically governed lay ministry in the CofE. Their theological training enables them to preach, teach, and lead worship, and they are also able to assist in pastoral, evangelistic and liturgical work.

The office of Lay Reader has existed in its present form since 1866, and there are now around ten thousand lay readers in the Church of England.

For the purposes of carrying out the practical aspects of their training for ordination

Ordination

In general religious use, ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart as clergy to perform various religious rites and ceremonies. The process and ceremonies of ordination itself varies by religion and denomination. One who is in preparation for, or who is...

, students studying for the ordained ministry may be licensed as Student Readers. In some provinces of the Anglican Communion, such as the Church of Ireland

Church of Ireland

The Church of Ireland is an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. The church operates in all parts of Ireland and is the second largest religious body on the island after the Roman Catholic Church...

, a Student Reader's license permits them to serve in any diocese rather than being bound (as in the case of a Lay Reader) to the diocese of their licensing bishop

Bishop

A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...

.

See also

• Laity
  Laity
  In religious organizations, the laity comprises all people who are not in the clergy. A person who is a member of a religious order who is not ordained legitimate clergy is considered as a member of the laity, even though they are members of a religious order .In the past in Christian cultures, the...
  
  
• Clergy
  Clergy
  Clergy is the generic term used to describe the formal religious leadership within a given religion. A clergyman, churchman or cleric is a member of the clergy, especially one who is a priest, preacher, pastor, or other religious professional....
  
  
• Reader (liturgy)
• Methodist local preacher
  Methodist local preacher
  A Methodist local preacher is a lay person who has been accredited by a Methodist church to lead worship on a regular basis. Local preachers play an important role in the Methodist Church of Great Britain and other churches historically linked to it, and have also been important in English social...
  
   (United Kingdom & Australia)
• Lay speaker
  Lay speaker
  A lay speaker is a position in the United Methodist Church for the laity. Technically, a lay speaker is a “member of a local church … who is ready … to serve the Church.” Generally, lay speakers are leaders in the United Methodist Church on local, district, and conference levels...
  
   (United States)
• Ordinand

External links

• Central Readers' Council
• College of Readers