lay preachers
Nonprofessional religious speakers
Lay preachers are people who deliver sermons or lead religious services without being ordained clergy.
They're members of a congregation authorized to preach but lacking formal theological training or official ministerial status.
The practice varies by denomination—some encourage lay preaching as a calling, others restrict it: The circuit was served by lay preachers when no minister was available.
- exhortersThose who strongly encourage
- pulpitChurch speaking platform
- camp meetingsOutdoor Protestant worship gatherings
- sermonClergy's worship address
- ministeringGiving aid or service
prayer · congregation · nonordained · itinerancy · homily · speaking in tongues · faith · proselytizing · social gospel · bible · Great Awakening · chapel · Sunday · worship · gospel · revival · calling · open air
- believersbeliever, believers, adherent, devotee, theist
- church rolesbishop, deacons, priest, pastor, lay readers
- clergypriest, bishop, pope, nun, monk
- MethodismWesley, Methodist Church, Methodist, United Methodist Church, Methodism
- ChristianityJesus, Bible, Christ, God, Jesus Christ
- Christian missionsforeign missions, missionary work, missionary societies, church planting, evangelists
lay preachersordained ministers
Officially appointed religious leaders
lay preachersbishops
High-ranking clergy members
archbishops · cardinals · high priests · church hierarchy · prelates
preach, preacher, preaching, layman, layperson, preached, preachers, laypeople, laywoman