Lay Servant Ministries

Lay Servant Ministries advanced courses

BeADisciple.com is proud to host online advanced courses in Lay Servant Ministries! LSM advanced courses are required to renew your recognition as a Certified Lay Servant, Certified Lay Speaker, or Certified Lay Minister.

These courses are approved by Discipleship Ministries (formerly the General Board of Discipleship). You’ll notice the “learning and leading” logo on all Discipleship Ministries-approved LSM courses.

“I was a little daunted to take one of these lay servant courses online but I feel like I’ve actually spent more quality time with the book and my fellow learners than I usually do with a regular, live course!”

— learner Marshall Murphy

Will these courses fulfill all my education requirements for certification?

Not entirely — but they do help! We don’t currently offer the BASIC Lay Servant Ministries course required to become a Certified Lay Servant in the United Methodist Church; you’ll have to take that course locally. We now offer all six courses required for initial Lay Speaker certification (listed in the first section below)!

These courses will help you renew your status as a Certified Lay Servant, Certified Lay Speaker, or Certified Lay Minister. Although you should note: while all of our LSM advanced courses are approved by Discipleship Ministries, you are advised to check with your own district laity director and conference LSM committee to make sure this online coursework will be accepted in your area, as each district and conference has its own set of guidelines.

Can I take these courses if I’m not an LSM, Lay Speaker, CLM, or even United Methodist?

Of course! Anyone is welcome to enroll in these courses for a great learning experience.

Advanced LSM courses

These courses meet the continuing education requirements for renewal of Certified Lay Servant (one advanced course every 3 years), Certified Lay Speaker (one advanced course every 3 years), or Certified Lay Minister (one advanced course every 2 years).

These first 8 courses meet the initial educational requirements to become a Lay Speaker. Click on the title to see the course description, find enrollment dates, or sign up for a notification email on each course.

Leading Public Prayer (Leading Prayer course)

Life Together in the United Methodist Connection (Polity course)

Living Our United Methodist Beliefs (Heritage course)

Your Ministry of Planning and Leading Worship (Leading Worship course)

Called to Preach (Friday Zoom) (Preaching course alternative)

Called to Preach (Saturday Zoom) (Preaching course alternative)

From Your Heart to Theirs: Delivering an Effective Sermon (Friday Zoom) (Preaching course alternative)

From Your Heart to Theirs: Delivering an Effective Sermon (Saturday Zoom) (Preaching course alternative)

Rediscovering Our Spiritual Gifts (Spiritual Gifts course alternative)

For the Common Good: Discovering and Using Your Spiritual Gifts (Spiritual Gifts course alternative)

The courses below meet re-certification requirements (but do not count toward initial lay speaker certification requirements). Click on the title to see the course description, find enrollment dates, or sign up for a notification email on each course.

Upon successful completion of these courses, you will receive a certificate of completion; however, it is your responsibility to self-report completion to your own district or conference system. We do not report this on your behalf, but we will confirm your completion upon inquiry from your district or conference if requested.

For more information on Lay Servant Ministries, we recommend the LSM Catalog from Discipleship Ministries, the LSM Brochure from Discipleship Ministries, and the BeADisciple LSM flyer.