Reader in CofE

[irestmycase]

can someone tell me what their function is? TIA

To preach

Here is their website:

www.readers.cofe.anglican.org/

I'm in a little village parish which shares a priest with 6 other churches so our reader basically runs the church in our village.
She cannot do weddings and baptisms or Holy Communion services but she runs all other services (HC is only once per month) She helps at our childrens church clubs, does funerals, visits to the sick bereaved, runs prayer groups, confirmation classes etc

An absolute star...

I'm a Reader. The main part of it is to preach and lead services. Other aspects are dependent on the person and their gifts, e.g. getting involved in outreach, children and families work, pastoral visiting, etc. But the core of Reader Ministry is preaching and leading services.

As gingertoo said, Readers don't do weddings, baptisms or Communion. After the right training we can take funerals.

There is also a licensed and trained role of Pastoral Assistants. They are the ones who go visiting.

What is your interest, irestmycase?

Mme - a colleague is training to be one and I was curious about what the role is, though lacked the confidence to show my ignorance and ask her what it is all about.

thanks for the info, all of you

It's a weird name for a preacher, isn't it?

I do readings, but that is pretty easy. To preach is not, with all the research beforehand.

I wonder if in the past they just read a sermon prepared by a presbyter?

From memory, the office of Reader in the C of E originated after non-confirmists broke away from the Church of England and there were not enough priests to go round. They were, as suggested, only permitted to read out a sermon previously prepared by the local priest who could not be present to lead the service.

The office slowly fell into disuse as more clergy came into service, however it was revived in 1866. I know some Readers who were licenced in the 1940s, and they tell me there only training was to read a book lent to them by their priest and sit an exam on it in their priest's study one evening. Nowadays it is more thorough - I had 2 years of evening classes on theology, one year of preaching and liturgy, and after licencing had another year "in-service" training.

I'm a Reader too - in our diocese they are now called Licensed Lay Ministers. But the Reader website, as quoted, explains it best!