Lay Servant Academy
more training coming soon…
Lay Servant Academy VIRTUAL Winter Training
February 20-21, 2026
Registration closes at 12 AM on Sunday, February 15th
*including a Lenten Daily Disciplines Course that begins February 19th. This course will be offered once per week at different times. Participants choose the best day and time that works best for their schedule.
Virtual Only
Registration Fee per course: $30.00/$15.00
LSA Schedule (Feb 20th & 21st)
Friday, February 20th
6:00-6:30PM Welcome & Worship Zoom
7:00-9:00PM Class Session 1
Saturday, February 21st
9AM-12:00PM Class Session 2
12:00-1:00PM LUNCH
1:00-4:00PM Class Session 3
Registration coming soon
Basic Course
This foundational course introduces the core practices of lay leadership. Participants explore their spiritual gifts, servant leadership, spiritual disciplines, and the value of accountable discipleship. Together, we’ll look at simple, practical ways to lead and serve both in the church and in daily life.
Instructor: Nick Abate
Required Reading: Lay Servant Ministries – Basic Course by Sandy Zeigler Jackson and Brian Jackson
Participant’s Book • DR626 • 978-0-88177-626-3 • $12.00
*This course provides Certification credit and renewal credit for Certified Lay Servants and Certified Lay Speakers.
Note: 2 hours of class time prior to class should be spent on reading the required materials for the class! *This applies only to those who are working towards Lay Servant Certifications or CEUs.
Life Together in the United Methodist Connection (United Methodist Polity)
(10-hour course)
INSTRUCTOR: Lauren Leggett
This course offers a practical overview of how The United Methodist Church is organized and how our connectional system works—especially in light of newly adopted Regional Conference structures. Participants will gain a clear understanding of how decisions are made, how ministries are supported, and how we live out our shared life together. (A 2020/2024 Book of Discipline is encouraged)
Required Reading: The Method of Our Mission Laceye C. Warner
Participant’s Book • AB717 • 978-1-4267-6717-3
Class Leaders
(10-hour course)
INSTRUCTOR: Cindy Banek
This course looks at the historic Wesleyan role of the class leader and why this form of lay pastoral care is vital for the church today. Participants will explore how class leaders support spiritual growth, accountability, and community. Prerequisite: Accountable Discipleship.
Required Reading: Class Leaders: Recovering a Tradition
Participant’s Book • 978-15791-0954-7 • $27.00 Available at WipfandStock.com
*This course provides Certification credit and renewal credit for Certified Lay Servants and Certified Lay Speakers.
Note: 2 hours of class time prior to class should be spent on reading the required materials for the class! *This applies only to those who are working towards Lay Servant Certifications or CEUs.
Leading Worship
(10-hour course)
INSTRUCTOR: Seungsoo “RJ” Jun
This course equips lay servants who regularly or occasionally guide a congregation in worship, offering practical tools and confidence for leading well.
Required Reading: Worshiping with United Methodists (REVISED) by Hoyt Hickman
Participant’s Book • AB526 • 978-0-687-33526-8 • $11.99 (Kindle, $9.99)
*This course provides Certification credit and renewal credit for Certified Lay Servants and Certified Lay Speakers.
Note: 2 hours of class time prior to class should be spent on reading the required materials for the class! *This applies only to those who are working towards Lay Servant Certifications or CEUs.
Certified Lay Minister (CLM) Orientation
(2-hour course) Friday 7:00-9:00 PM
INSTRUCTORS: Jo Dietz and Jenn O’ Brien
This 2-hour orientation is designed to provide information about the two year CLM training for those who are considering a path toward CLM. We will spend time learning expectations of becoming a CLM while creating a network of peers who are also considering certification. If the participants discern that they are indeed called to become CLMs, this cohort will continue to support one another throughout the educational process (2 years) while learning how CLMs are functioning in the Virginia Conference.
For the Common Good: Discovering and Using Your Spiritual Gifts.
This course offers a scriptural understanding of spiritual gifts as
always given “for the common good.” By helping participants
identify and link their gifts, abilities, and sense of calling, laity will
learn the powerful connection between spiritual gifts and
vocational discernment in the context of the mission of their local
church.
Instructor: Jenn Robinson O’Brien with Jim Granger
Required Reading: For the Common Good: Discovering and Using
Your Spiritual Gifts Christine Harman Participant’s Book • DR958 •
978-0-88177-958-5
*This course provides Certification credit and renewal credit for Certified Lay Servants and Certified Lay Speakers.
Note: 2 hours of class time prior to class should be spent on reading the required materials for the class! *This applies only to those who are working towards Lay Servant Certifications or CEU’s.
Called to Preach
This course is designed for those who have not completed formal preaching training, for pastors seeking a basic refresher course, and for others who are called upon to preach in a pastor’s absence.
Instructor: John Hall
Required Reading: From Pew to Pulpit Clifton F. Guthrie
*This course provides Certification credit and renewal credit for Certified Lay Servants and Certified Lay Speakers.
Note: 2 hours of class time prior to class should be spent on reading the required materials for the class! *This applies only to those who are working towards Lay Servant Certifications or CEU’s.
Accountable Discipleship
This course focuses on the concept of the household of God, Scripture as divine revelation, Wesleyan understandings of grace, and the importance of the class leader in the development of the Methodist movement.
Instructor: Richard Speirs
Required Reading: Accountable Discipleship Steven W. Manskar
*This course provides Certification credit and renewal credit for Certified Lay Servants and Certified Lay Speakers.
Note: 2 hours of class time prior to class should be spent on reading the required materials for the class! *This applies only to those who are working towards Lay Servant Certifications or CEU’s.
Certified Lay Minister (CLM) Orientation
This 2-hour orientation is designed to provide information about the two year CLM training for those who are considering a path toward CLM. We will spend time learning expectations of becoming a CLM while creating a network of peers who are also considering certification. If the participants discern that they are indeed called to become CLMs, this cohort will continue to support one another throughout the educational process (1-4 years) while learning how CLMs are functioning in the Virginia Conference.
Instructors: Joanna Dietz & Jenn Robinson-O’Brien
Suggested Reading: Roots and Routes by Randy Litchfield & Part Time is Plenty by G. Jeffrey MacDonald.
This course qualifies as one of the courses toward CLM specialization in Children’s Faith Formation.
Additional LSA Course Offerings
*Please note dates and times. *Additional fees apply!
Devotional Life in the Wesleyan Tradition (Daily Disciplines)
(10-hour course) Meets once per week on Thursdays February 19th-March 26th, 7:00-9:00 PM.
Rooted in John Wesley’s rhythms of grace, this course explores the practices that shaped his daily walk with God—prayer, Scripture, Holy Communion, fasting, and more. Together we’ll discover how these timeless habits can deepen our own devotional lives and ground us for ministry today.
Instructor: Richard Speirs
Required Reading: Devotional Life in the Wesleyan Tradition by Steve Harper;
Participant’s Book • 740 • 978-0-8358-0740-1 • $14.99 (ePub and Kindle, $9.99)
*This course provides Certification credit and renewal credit for Certified Lay Servants and Certified Lay Speakers.
Note: 2 hours of class time prior to class should be spent on reading the required materials for the class! *This applies only to those who are working towards Lay Servant Certifications or CEUs.
The Talking Bible: Exploring the Old Testament as Dialogue and Conversation
(10-hour course)
Meets once per week on Mondays February 23rd-March 23rd, 7:00-9:00 PM
This course, inspired by Dr. William P. Brown’s work, explores how Scripture speaks—within its own pages and to readers from many backgrounds. Participants will discover how the Bible’s varied and sometimes conflicting voices invite honest dialogue, revealing the richness and strength of our sacred text.
Instructor: Dwayne Stinson
Required Reading: Sacred Tension: Exploring Dissonance and Dialogue in the Old Testament by William P. Brown (https://upperroombooks.com/book/sacred-tension/)
*This course provides Certification credit and renewal credit for Certified Lay Servants and Certified Lay Speakers.
Note: 2 hours of class time prior to class should be spent on reading the required materials for the class! *This applies only to those who are working towards Lay Servant Certifications or CEUs.
Soul Reset: Relearning the Rhythms of Grace
(10-hour course) Meets once per week on Mondays from 6:30-8:30, March 9th-30th.
INSTRUCTOR: Jenn Robinson O’Brien
This course invites participants to step away from busyness and distraction and rediscover the gift of rest. Through practices that nurture spiritual wholeness, you’ll explore how Christ’s healing presence restores balance, clarity, and peace in everyday life.
Required Reading: Soul Reset: Breakdown, Breakthrough, and the Journey to Wholeness by Junius B. Dotson
Participant’s Book • 978-083581-896-4 • $14.99 (ePub and Kindle, $9.99)
*This course provides Certification credit and renewal credit for Certified Lay Servants and Certified Lay Speakers.
Note: 2 hours of class time prior to class should be spent on reading the required materials for the class! *This applies only to those who are working towards Lay Servant Certifications or CEUs.
SAVE THE DATE!
Winter Lay Servant Academy: February 20-21, 2026
Lay Servant Academy VIRTUAL Winter Training
February 20-21, 2026
Friday, February 20th
6:30-6:50PM Welcome & Worship Zoom
7:00-9:00PM Class Session 1
Saturday, February 21st
8:45 – 9:00 AM Gathering Time
9AM-12:00PM Class Session 2
12:00-1:00PM LUNCH Break
1:00-4:00PM Class Session 3
❖ Basic Course
❖ Life Together in the United Methodist Connection (United Methodist Polity)
❖ Class Leaders
❖ Devotional Life in the Wesleyan Tradition (Daily Disciplines)–**5 week course or during Lent
❖ Soul Reset: Relearning the Rhythms of Grace Through Daily Life with God–**Lenten Course
❖ The Talking Bible: Exploring the Old Testament as Dialogue and Conversation–*Lenten Course
Course Book Title: Sacred Tension
❖ Leading Worship
• Registration for additional Courses will close on Wednesday, February 26th at 5:00PM
*including a Lenten Sacraments Course that begins March 3rd AND a 5-week course on Ministry with the Forgotten.
Virtual Only
Registration Fee per course: $30.00/$15.00
Save the dates!
Contact Tianna Durbin tiannad@arcolachurch.org, Director of Lay Servant Academy with questions!
Additional LSA Course Offerings
*Please note dates and times. *Additional fees apply!
Basic Course (10-hour course) *5 week Course on Thursday Evenings 7:00-9:00PM
Begins Thursday, February 27th
Course Instructor: Martha Stokes, Virginia Conference Lay Leader
Course Description: This course is designed to help laity and clergy deepen their
understanding of persons living with dementia and help all maintain their identity and worth as beloved children of God. Carter calls the church to a deeper discipleship defined by the quality of our caring and receiving relationships. Participants will discover what it means to carry each other’s memories, joys, and diminishments together in community. Through loving practices that nurture and incorporate persons with Alzheimer’s and dementia into the church’s life and ministry, we experience a spiritual wholeness rooted in God’s grace beyond our own strengths and capacities.
Required Reading: Ministry with the Forgotten: Dementia through a Spiritual Lens by Bishop Kenneth Carter
https://www.cokesbury.com/Ministry-with-the-Forgotten?refq=ministry%20with%20the%20forgotten
*This course is open to all! In addition, This course provides Certification credit and
renewal credit for Certified Lay Servants and Certified Lay Speakers *only to those
who attend all 5 sessions!
Course dates are as follows:
● February 27 – Dementia as a Medical and Theological Challenge (and Opportunity)
● March 6 – We are More than Our Capacities
● March 13 – Incarnation and Ministry of Presence
● March 20 – Dementia, Discipleship, and Grief
● March 27 – Toward a Dementia-Friendly Church
*Participants are welcome to take all 5 or choose which weeks to attend. Those
taking this course for Certification credit must attend all 5 sessions as stated
above.
Meets once per week March 3rd-April 16th
Instructors: Joanna Dietz, Richard Speirs, and Bert Cloud.
Course Description: This course will be led by various Clergy and Laity
throughout the season of Lent. Come grow in understanding of what it means
to gather around the communion table and be reminded of God’s great love
for us.
Those interested in this course will choose the instructor and time of choice.
**Participants may not change times once a time has been chosen! For those
pursuing certification credit, you must attend all class sessions.
Required Reading
1. This Holy Mystery: A United Methodist Understanding of Holy
Communion by Gayle Carlton Felton
https://store.upperroom.org/product/this-holy-mystery
2. By Water and the Spirit by Gayle Carlton Felton
https://store.upperroom.org/product/by-water-and-the-spirit
*This course provides Certification credit and renewal credit for Certified Lay Servants
and Certified Lay Speakers.
Note: 2 hours of class time prior to class should be spent on reading the
required materials for the class! *This applies only to those who are working
towards Lay Servant Certifications or CEU’s
Dates and Times: Choose only one option!
1. Tuesday Nights at 7pm; Instructor: Bert Cloud (Begins March 4th)
2. Wednesdays at 7:00PM; Instructor: Richard Speirs (Begins March 5th)
3. Fridays at 9:30AM; Instructor: Joanna Dietz (Begins March 7th)