Lay School of Theology

The Lay School of Theology is a joint venture of the five S.C. presbyteries and is offered twice yearly in spring and fall. The School meets at the White Oak Conference Center.

There are two "tracks" set up for students: the lay enrichment track and the CLP track.

For more information click on the links given below:

The Two Track Approach

 

Fall Session 2010
Nov. 19-21

Spring Session 2011
April 8-10



 

Download this document

Download an application

For More CLP Information or Questions

Please contact Rev. Mary A. Morrison, Associate Presbyter for Vocations and Education by calling 864-288-5774, ext. 19, or click on her name to send an email.

 

Policy and Process to Become a
COMMISSIONED LAY PASTOR
IN FOOTHILLS PRESBYTERY

Committee on Ministry
Policy on Commissioned Lay Pastors
Approved January 16, 2010

Foothills Presbytery acknowledges that its commissioned lay pastor strategy intends to provide a temporary solution to the lack of available Ministers of Word and Sacrament to carry out the presbytery’s ministry in a particular place.  Therefore, Foothills Presbytery establishes the following priorities for utilizing the services of elders trained to become commissioned lay pastors:

  1. Supplying congregational pastoral leadership.
  2. Assisting Minister(s) of Word and Sacrament in new church development.
  3. Assisting or pioneering in a validated ministry of the presbytery designated by the presbytery. For an elder to receive a validated ministry commission as a lay pastor, a ministry must be validated by the Committee on Ministry as a ministry of the presbytery which has oversight by a presbytery committee or team. The validated ministry shall be one in which the primary functions are to lead worship and preach the gospel, watch over the people, and provide for their nurture and service.

Training to Become a Commissioned Lay Pastor
Foothills Presbytery provides a process for elders to become ready to receive a commission.  This process falls under the responsibility of the Inspiration & Support Team.  An application and endorsement by one’s session is the first step.  For the entire process, see below and contact the chair of the Inspiration & Support Team or the Associate Executive Presbyter for Vocations & Education.

Foothills Presbytery requires 11 courses to complete training to become a Commissioned Lay Pastor.  Those mentioned in the Book of Order G-14.0560 are noted with an * below.  Other additional courses mentioned are those that Foothills Presbytery has specified must also be taken and passed in order to complete the training requirements.
1. Old Testament*
2. New Testament*
3. Reformed Theology and Sacraments*
4. Presbyterian Polity*
5. Preaching*
6. Leading Worship*
7. Pastoral Care*
8. Teaching*
9. Church History
10. Elective of your choice
11. Elective of your choice

Once commissioned, Foothills Presbytery requires that the CLP take at least one continuing education course per year.

Review before the Examinations Commission and Presbytery
Prior to receiving a commission, the elder who has completed all aspects of training to become a Commissioned Lay Pastor will meet with the Examinations Commission to be examined in areas of Bible, Theology, Polity and Sacraments.  The Examinations Commission makes a decision to recommend or not to recommend that the elder receive a commission.  If the decision is to recommend, then the elder will also be examined on the floor of presbytery.

Covenant for Commission
A written covenant between the session, the COM, and the CLP shall be agreed upon by all parties prior to an elder being examined by the Examinations Commission and prior to a commission being approved by presbytery.  The covenant shall include the following:

Process to Become a COMMISSIONED LAY PASTOR

To enter into the study to be a Commissioned Lay Pastor in Foothills Presbytery, one must be an active member of a Foothills congregation and an ordained Elder in the PC (USA). 

Before proceeding to any other steps, please meet with your pastor or Session moderator and read section G-14.0560 on Commissioned Lay Pastor in the Book of Order, The Constitution of the Presbyterian Church (U. S. A.), Part II, most recent edition.

  1. A written application form (including release for background checks) must be completed and endorsed by the Elder’s Session and then sent to the Inspiration and Support Team via the Associate Executive Presbyter for Vocations & Education. 
  2. The applicant must meet with the Inspiration and Support Team or its representatives to be approved pending acceptable results of psychological testing and receipt of acceptable background checks.
  3. Applicant takes psychological testing as designated by the Inspiration and Support Team.
  4. Approval of credit for courses will be granted based on the information below.  However, seminary course work is often considered for those who have taken the appropriate courses.  If this is true in your case, please have a transcript from your institution sent to the Associate for Vocations & Education.  After evaluating the prior coursework, you will be notified which courses will be applied toward your certification requirements.
  5. When the 11 required courses are completed, the elder should meet with the Inspiration and Support Team or its representatives to move his or her name to the care of the Committee on Ministry and begin the phase to receive a commission for a designated period of time.
  6. The COM makes the name of the lay pastor ready to receive a commission available to those churches which it deems might benefit from the CLP’s services. 
  7. When a congregation desires the services of a CLP and has written a covenant specifying the work of that CLP, the Examinations Commission of Foothills Presbytery examines the lay pastor ready to receive a commission in relation to the covenant and the content of that lay pastor’s training and preparation. 
  8. Presbytery votes on the CLP to create the commission for a specified amount of time.
  9. COM assigns a Mentor to the CLP.
  10. COM monitors the covenant relationship between the CLP and the congregation.
  11. COM oversees the continuing education requirements while a CLP is serving in a commission.

Ways to earn course credits:
As mentioned in G-14.0560, the presbytery has oversight of the selection and training of the elder who seeks to become a commissioned lay pastor.  Foothills Presbytery does the certifying of its own CLPs.  This is done through the oversight of the Inspiration and Support Team of Foothills Presbytery.  They inform the COM of persons who are being trained.  Foothills Presbytery has approved 3 ways that persons can earn credit toward their certification. 

1--SC Lay School of Theology has been in existence for many years and is managed by the 5 SC presbyteries.  The Lay School is held one weekend in March and one weekend in November of each year.  You may take one course on each weekend. Instructors report grades to the Lay School registrar who in turn sends reports to the Associate for Vocations & Education two times a year to update your credits.

2--PACE (Presbyterians About Collegial Enrichment) courses are offered by Foothills Presbytery to help achieve certification goals for Christian educators, commissioned lay pastors, church musicians and open to any member of a Foothills congregation.  About 3-4 courses are offered per year, many are on a semester model that covers several months.  The Associate for Vocations & Education keeps records from course instructors regarding your course credits.

3--Online courses through Dubuque Theological Seminary have been approved for credit toward commissioned lay pastor certification.  Foothills Presbytery has set a limit that no more than 5 of the total 11 required courses may be taken online.  When signing up for an online course, you must request that the seminary send notification to the Associate for Vocations & Education in order to receive the appropriate credit.  This is an additional fee.

4—Submission of an official transcript from an accredited theological institution indicating seminary courses previously taken and passed will be considered for approval. 

What courses are required?

Foothills Presbytery requires 11 courses to complete training to become a Commissioned Lay Pastor.  Those mentioned in the Book of Order G-14.0560 are noted with an * below.  Other additional courses mentioned are those that Foothills has specified must also be taken and passed in order to complete the training requirements.

Once commissioned, Foothills requires that the CLP take at least one continuing education course per year.

SC Lay School Certificate

The SC Lay School awards a certificate to persons who complete their "core" courses in the CLP Track. To earn credit in the CLP Track you must have your Session’s endorsement and the Inspiration and Support Team’s on behalf of COM.  Simply completing the 7 “core” courses at the SC Lay School will not meet all of the requirements that Foothills has put in place. There are 7 core courses to be taken at the SC Lay School in order to receive a certificate from the Lay School.These are listed below along with which weekend they are usually offered. The courses at the Lay School are about 10 hours in a weekend with a follow-up paper sent to the instructor to complete the course.  To receive complete training as a CLP in Foothills Presbytery you will need to complete the additional four courses in the above mentioned Foothills required list. 

SC Lay School regularly offers courses on this schedule:
Spring - Old Testament Survey (core), Polity (core), Worship and Sacraments (core), Preaching (core)

Fall - New Testament Survey (core), Reformed Theology (core), Pastoral Care (core), Church History

PACE – Presbyterians About Collegial Enrichment

The PACE Team of Foothills Presbytery has planned to offer the following courses over the coming years for any adult in Foothills Presbytery, but especially CLPs in training, Christian educators and church musicians who want to be certified.  PACE courses are usually 30-hour courses, therefore more in-depth and offer the CLP student a more thorough and integrated experience, including written assignments, projects, or collaborative work as well as weekly readings.  PACE courses are often scheduled on a semester type schedule, but may also include other formats such as retreats or forums that relate to the content of the courses.  Scholarship funds are available for PACE courses by contacting the Associate for Vocations & Education and completing a scholarship application. 

PACE Course Schedule

2010    Fall - Pastoral Care—Rev. Dr. Rachel Matthews

2011    Spring - Sacrament and Worship Education—Rev. Dottie Metropol

            Summer - Bible Survey—Rev. Barb Stoop

The University of Dubuque Theological Seminary—online courses

These courses are designed for the elder training to be a CLP or any interested adult.  To apply for a course, fill out an online application at www.udtslearning.net .  To take these courses you need to be comfortable with your email program: sending email, receiving email, and opening and sending attachments to email.  These skills are not taught in the courses, but expected of each student prior to enrolling 30 days before the course begins.  Visit these two web sites to test your readiness to take an online course.  www.learnthenet.com/english/section/www.html or www.internet101.org/

Most Dubuque online courses run for 12 weeks and equate to a 1.5 to 2 credit hour college course.  On average the online student reads 300-500 pages, writes 7-10 pages of assignments, spends 3-4 hours per week of class participation and preparation time.  (Courses do not carry seminary or university credit.)  You can pay extra to earn CEUs for the online courses.  Maximum suggested number of courses to take at the same time is two.  Dubuque offers many courses online, both core courses and electives such as:

Core Courses (Approximate Start Dates)

If you would like to register for any of these courses before they are listed on the homepage, please contact Katie Noonan (DERegistration@dbq.edu).

Foothills Presbytery has set a limit that no more than 5 of the total 11 required courses may be taken online.  Please have the Registrar at Dubuque send the Associate for Vocations & Education verification that you have completed the course and passed all requirements to receive credit.

For More CLP Information or Questions

Please contact the Rev. Mary A. Morrison, Associate Executive Presbyter for Vocations & Education by calling 864-288-5774, ext. 19 or emailing MAMorrison@foothillspresbytery.org.