At the Feb. 7 service at the Cathedral of St. Philip, 13 people were commissioned as licensed lay ministers (LLMs) — a designation that permits those who are not clergy to provide pastoral care, sermons, Eucharist and more.
In their training, the new LLMs had studied the gospel text of the commissioning service. It’s from Luke 4, about Jesus beginning his public ministry at his small, rural home congregation — a role model for what they will be doing too.
“There’s nothing quite as difficult as showing up different in the same place, especially among the people who know you best. Can I get an amen right there?” The Right Rev. Robert Wright said in the sermon. “A new dose of the Holy Spirit invites a new response.”
The new LLMs include:
- Douglas Babb (Church of the Mediator, Washington)
- Boni Bush (St. Francis, Macon)
- Jennifer Chandler (St. Alban’s, Elberton)
- Kenneth Chapman (St. Simon’s, Conyers)
- Foster FitzHugh (St. Aidan’s, Milton)
- Paul Davison (All Saints’, Warner Robins)
- Lisa Hefner (St. Francis, Macon)
- Tim Hoskins (Christ Church, Macon)
- Kate Kennedy (St. Luke’s, Atlanta)
- Mandy Nottingham (St. Mary & St. Martha, Buford)
- Tammy Pallot (St. Francis, Macon)
- Sheryl Parsons (St. Joseph’s, McDonough)
- Karen Wright (St. David’s, Roswell)
“The enthusiasm of this group is striking,” said Sally Ulrey, Canon for Congregational Vitality and Ministry Development.
“They are ready and willing and energized to use their gifts in service of the mission of the church, to help people know the Good News of God’s love and become closer followers of Jesus Christ. I’m so grateful for their eagerness to answer God’s call, and the energy they have to offer their gifts in ministry to the whole Church.
“They are being commissioned for ministry not only in their own parishes, but in any parish in the Diocese of Atlanta that could use these ministries (preaching, leading worship, pastoral care), and I hope our parishes will consider the ways in which they can invite LLMs to serve and support all the parishes in the diocese. They are ready to answer that invitation!”
Sheryl Parsons: “This is where I am called to be”
At the service, Sheryl Parsons was commissioned as a Licensed Lay Preacher, as well as a Pastoral Caregiver and a Eucharistic Minister and Visitor.
She attends St. Joseph’s in McDonough, where she is Senior Warden and a member of the Altar Guild and the Daughters of the King. Parsons was baptized into the Baptist Church, but worship there left her unfulfilled. After attending St. Joseph’s with a family friend a couple of times, she joined 26 years ago.
This is her story:
“I heard about Licensed Lay Preaching from a Lay Preacher we had at my church,” she said. “I didn’t know much about it, but since God has ways to make things happen, Bishop Rob Wright was at our church the day after the last licensing. I asked about it and he directed me to Congregational Vitality and Sally Ulrey. I contacted her to ask about it; she sent the information.
“I prayed and thought. I truly think God was encouraging me to spread the Good News via preaching. As discernment continued, I felt more and more like this is where I am called to be. I preached in my church during Epiphany, and it felt wonderful. I could have done it for hours (but that would have been cruel to the congregation!) God truly led me to this ministry.
Her advice for anyone considering LLM:
“Licensed Lay Ministry in some form or fashion is something we’re all called to. There are so many places you can serve. Please look at the possibilities and pray about it. God wants you! On the practical side, licensure doesn’t happen overnight. Be prepared to invest time in learning and doing. It will be busy, but so, so rewarding, no matter what licensure you pursue.”
Jennifer Chandler: “An entry point into a new kind of service”
Jennifer Chandler was licensed as a Pastoral Leader and as a Pastoral Caregiver. She lives in Elberton and has attended St. Alban’s Episcopal Church for about three years. She officially joined The Episcopal Church 2.5 years ago when she was received by Bishop Wright.
This is her story:
“Before I became an Episcopalian, I worshiped in the Roman Catholic Church. Ministry positions for women are more restricted in the Catholic Church. I kept seeking my ‘vocation,’ and never found my special place to serve. The LLM program in the Episcopal Church has given me an entry point into a new kind of service.”
Her advice for anyone considering LLM:
“Pray. A lot. And ask questions. But if you think this might be your next faithful step, talk to your rector or priest-in-charge about joining the next discernment cohort. The discernment process is designed to help you feel confident in knowing either that this is something you want to pursue, or possibly that it is something you don’t want to pursue YET. Even if you realize that you don’t want to become an LLM at all, the discernment is a growth process, and you will be stronger in your faith for taking the journey, regardless of the outcome.”
More of Bishop Wright’s Commissioning Sermon
Wright urged the new lay ministers to consider worship through personal, immediate oblation as captured in lyrics of “Spirit of the Living God, fall afresh on me” penned by Georgia native Daniel Iverson (1890-1977): “Break me, mold me, fill me, use me.”
“In the work that we are now called to do together for Christ in middle and north Georgia together, we must begin with ourselves,” Wright added. “That’s the ask today… the offering of yourself, perhaps more of yourself than you’ve ever offered before.”
Wright also evoked the viral “get your affairs in order” sermon of his friend, Bishop Rob Hirschfeld of the Diocese of New Hampshire: “Now is no longer the time for statements, but for us with our bodies to stand between the powers of this world and the most vulnerable.”
Wright’s final charge to the new lay ministers was to make their actions, words and service show Jesus “who knows that the average congregation has everything necessary to change the world.”
More About LLMs
LLMs are growing in numbers in The Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta, where they embody the mission: “We challenge ourselves and the world to love like Jesus as we worship joyfully, serve compassionately, and grow spiritually.”
They expand support to their congregations and ministries, bring new skills to church leadership, deepen their own faith and sub for clergy. For many who are called, the licensing is a significant step of faith.
Like clergy, licensed lay ministers must go through discernment and formation. They are supported by a faith community and meet with the Commission on Ministry before commissioning.
The licensing training is conducted through the Formation for All the Baptized (FAB) School of Ministry in the Diocese of Atlanta, which started in 2022. The inaugural group of 15 licensed lay ministers were commissioned in 2023, and another 18 in 2024, and 19 in 2025.
The FAB School for Ministry provides some formation through its own online learning platform, while partnering with Community of Hope International (COHI) for pastoral care training for all LLMs and with Bexley Seabury Seminary for training in particular licensure areas.
The Benedictine-inspired COHI training defines pastoral care as “being ‘present’ in a listening, compassionate, noncontrolling manner to an individual or group for the purpose of consciously or unconsciously representing God to them and seeking to respond to their spiritual needs.”
For information on becoming a licensed lay minister, contact Sally Ulrey, Canon for Congregational Vitality and Ministry Development, sulrey@episcopalatlanta.org