Key Contact:

Beverley Angier

Lay Ministry Officer

2026 Courses Now Open!

What is an Authorised Lay Minister?

Authorised Lay Ministers (ALMs) are lay people active in church life, who have been identified by their parish as having a particular gifting, vocation or calling to lay leadership, i.e. those called to work collaboratively alongside their incumbent and wider ministry teams with a distinct focus on growing, nurturing and serving the wider parish community.

ALMs are nominated by their incumbent and PCC for training in line with their parish Mission Action Plan (MAP) and diocesan selection criteria. Once trained they are authorised by the Bishop of Manchester to carry out a mutually agreed ministry role back within their local parish context. An ALM’s authorisation lasts for three years after which time it can be reviewed, updated and renewed.

What does the training involve?

ALM training begins each January with an 8-session Core Leadership Module followed by a 12-session ministry elective course. There are three attendance options available: weekday evenings face-to-face, hybrid intensive, and online.

Ministry Area Elective Courses on offer for 2026 include:

• Ecology & Creation
• Parish Administration, Finance & Governance
• Prayer & Spirituality
• Leading Small Groups
• Mission & Evangelism
• Worship & Liturgy

And as part of our Growing Younger Stream:  

• Ministry with Early Years
• Children and Families Ministry
• Youth Ministry

For further details on each course please see the course prospectus.

Course Information

Applications are now open for our 2026 courses. Please find more information and details below.

How can I apply?

Our next round of courses begins in January, and we’re now welcoming applications. Please find application forms below for new ALMs and for current ALMs wanting to do further training:

The application closing date for new ALM applications is Monday, 12th January 2026.

For current ALMs who want to access further training, the application closing date will be Friday, 27th March 2026.

Further Information

For more information about Authorised Lay Ministry please see the details below or contact our Local Ministry Officer, Beverley Angier.

Is being an ALM the only way to access lay ministry training? 

All of the courses offered on the ALM programme are also open as stand-alone courses to any lay people wanting to develop their call and gifting to Christian ministry and service. For more information on this please see our section on General Lay Courses.

Applications for our General Lay Pathway Courses open on Monday, 26th January and close on Friday, 27th March 2026.

ALM Drop-In Sessions

We are currently holding virtual drop-in sessions for our existing ALMs, where you can meet other ALMs, catch up, and raise any questions or concerns. The drop-ins are from 7-8pm via Zoom.

Upcoming Meeting Details

Our ALM Chaplains

ALM Chaplains are there to provide spiritual care and pastoral support for those in the ALM community. Find more information and contact details below.

Revd Libby Greenhalgh

I’m Libby and I am Curate at Davyhulme, Christ Church & Urmston, St Clement. where I worship with my husband Paul and our two children. I started out doing an ALM in Youth Ministry and being part of the ALM community has been a huge part of my life ever since; now as one of the Chaplains and also as a tutor on the core leadership module. I love hearing about what Jesus is doing in churches and communities throughout Manchester Diocese, sharing that with others through testimony and praying together when things are tough. Some random facts about me… I wear sandals 99.9% of the time, I’ll rarely say no to a cup of tea, and bible-journaling is a huge source of joy! Please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you’d like a space to talk and pray.

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Revd Kathreen Shahbaz

I’m Kathreen Shahbaz and I accepted Christ as my saviour in 2001 and since then have wanted to serve the Lord my God. I am married to Revd Shahbaz Masih and we have two blessed boys, Jeremiah and Joshua. I came to the UK from Pakistan as a nurse in 2005 and am currently serving the Lord as Curate at Christ Church Brunswick in Central Manchester. Before that, I was an ALM and working as a nurse for the NHS in Oldham. I love talking about Christ, His love for us and telling the good news of our salvation which is free (but not cheap) to everyone, especially to the youth. I am very grateful for the ALM Chaplaincy role and am looking forward to seeing and speaking with you all. I always believe that whatever we do, we do it for the glory of God. Please do not hesitate to contact me so that together with Christ we can make a difference in this world. Amen.

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Amit Chawhan

I’m Amit and I serve as a Licensed Lay Reader and Churchwarden at St James, Moss Side. I was as licensed as a Reader in 2015 and I have been a Churchwarden since 2019. As a graduate registered nurse, I am currently a Skills Tutor for medical students. I’m married to Madhuri and blessed with two children; son Kshitij (20) and daughter Anushka (15). I have always wanted to serve our Lord Jesus and His church. Being a Reader gives me lots of opportunities to do this and it also keeps me rooted in the day to day struggles we all face as Christians. My role as Churchwarden also helps me to understand both the joys and challenges of serving a congregation as a lay minister. The Lord has also now called me to serve as an ALM Chaplain. This is a very exciting opportunity to journey alongside fellow Christians in lay ministry and I very much look forward to hearing from you and spending time listening, discerning, rejoicing, praising and praying with you.

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