Rev. Sarah Hoch

Lay Preacher Training Program

From the Missioners

Are you feeling called to preach? 

ECMN is again partnering with the Episcopal Preaching Foundation (EPF) to offer a year-long Lay Preacher Training program - a deeply formative opportunity for lay people to discern, study, and practice the ministry of preaching in community. 

Minnesota was among the first dioceses invited into EPF's pilot program for lay preacher training in 2022-2023, and has since trained 16 licenses lay preachers across the state. Applications are now open for our third cohort, which will convene in January of 2026. 

 

What is the program like? 

The program runs for approximately one calendar year and is taught by the Rev. William Heisley and Canon Karen Olson. 

  • Most sessions are held via Zoom, with occasional in-person gatherings.
  • Participants commit to a rigorous and rewarding curriculum of prayer, classes, reading, research, and sermon preparation and delivery.
  • You can review the program's curriculum here. 
 

Why do we need lay preachers in the Church? 

The Rev. Dr. Stephen Smith, who directed the national pilot program, put it this way: 

"The whole point is: yes, the church staffing is changing and changing rapidly, and yes, we're going to need new lay preachers to step up and to help us with that transition. But to say that's the primary or only reason why we're training lay preachers is to handicap the program...it's much more than that. It's about the full proclamation of the gospel by every order." 

Jen Drganc, a licensed lay preacher at St. John's, Mankato, said this about her experience: 

"There is a lot of inward reflection in preaching the Good News. Way more than I anticipated. I had thought it would be more of a book report than a spiritual awakening. When I learned to let go of the sermon and trusted that the Holy Spirit would step in, that made preaching a lot easier. I learned you can't really mess it up because the Spirit has a way of taking you and your sermon where you need to go for the congregation."

She adds, "The lay preaching program helped me look at the Bible for the first time, in a new way. It has helped me grow into a better, dare I say, Christian...a better Jesus follower."

 

How do I apply? 

If you sense a call to proclaim the Gospel as a licensed lay preacher, applications are now open! 

There is no tuition charge, though participants will need to purchase a few required books. 

Questions? Contact the Rev. Sarah Hoch, Minister for Formation and Holy Orders, at sarah.h@episcopalmn.org or (612) 870-3310.