Bishop Gerald Kicanas and leaders from national Catholic ministry organizations and a diocesan formation program, discuss the importance of ministry formation and certification for lay ecclesial ministry leaders in this wide-ranging conversation from...
For those lay ecclesial ministers, priests and deacons who are given responsibility for ministry leadership in specialized roles, there are many benefits to certification.* The church at the national, regional, and local level shares in those benefits, as do academic and other institutions, along with those who mentor such ministers. Click below to learn more about the benefits.
Benefits to the Church in the United States ● Benefits to Provinces, Regions and State Catholic Conferences ● Benefits to the Local Church ● Benefits to Academic Institutions ● Benefits to Mentors of Candidates for Certification ● Benefits to Lay Ecclesial Ministers ● Benefits to Agencies, Institutions and Church Communities
*The material below is written specifically with certified lay ecclesial ministers in mind, as lay ministers are the majority of those seeking certification. However, the benefits of certification also readily apply to priests and deacons who seek certification for specialized ministry roles. Also, while the term "certification" is used throughout, the benefits listed apply to any effort to enhance ministry formation standards and minister preparation more broadly as well.
Certified Lay Ecclesial Ministers contribute to the continued growth and definition of the rightful position of Lay Ecclesial Ministry in the Church. This responds to a need identified in Parishes and Parish Ministers: A Study of Lay Ministry, National Pastoral Life Center 1999, reiterated in Lay Ecclesial Ministry: The State of the Questions, (NCCB/USCC 1999), and reemphasized in Co-Workers in the Vineyard of the Lord, USCCB, (2005, hereafter Co-Workers). Certified Lay Ecclesial Ministers also help Catholic Church entities to be in compliance with norms and guidelines for formation:
— Code of Cannon Law, 231 #1; Co-Workers, p. 33
When provinces, regions and state Catholic conferences work together toward certification, all can benefit from, and promote the following values:
—Co-Workers, p. 57
Certification promotes collaboration and cooperation between arch/diocese within provinces and regions and statewide Catholic conferences through utilization of the common certification standards and specialized competencies published by the Alliance for the Certification of Lay Ecclesial Ministers (The Alliance).
The Alliance received approval for its revised standards for Lay Ecclesial Ministers for the new national certification process from the former USCCB Commission on Certification and Accreditation in fall 2011. The standards were written collaboratively by the Federation of Diocesan Liturgical Commissions (FDLC), In Word & Witness, the National Association for Lay Ministry (NALM) National Association of Pastoral Musicians (NPM), and the National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry (NFCYM). The intended value of these common certification standards and specialized competencies include giving directions to the future of Lay Ecclesial Ministry in the church; recognizing and affirming those already in ministry; and promoting faithful and competent Lay Ecclesial Ministers who are accountable to standards and to the arch/diocese or organization that certify them.
The USCCB Subcommittee on Certification for Ecclesial Ministry and Service standards require arch/diocesan offices and national organizations to provide verification that the assessment of specialized ministers seeking certification is based on the competencies outlined by The Alliance. All of the materials pertaining to the standards and certification process are available on the Alliance website.
Certification is a process that enables arch/diocesan officials to formally identify and authorize lay women and men for key positions and major leadership roles for specialized ecclesial ministries. Arch/diocesan directors offer vital support to parishes by assisting them in the identification of the need for and availability of certified Lay Ecclesial Ministers with specialized competencies. The following quotation points to this important task:
—Co-Workers, p.56
The Subcommittee provides arch/diocesan directors with certification standards to assess the competency of candidates, and to state their own arch/diocesan standards for levels of academic formation and skill training required of certified ministers. Arch/diocesan office directors, as agents of their bishops, are enabled to provide clear standards for formation that fit the needs and special circumstances of the local church:
—Co-Workers, p. 30, p. 56-57
Certification testifies that Lay Ecclesial Ministers have received the appropriate formation required to enable them to be competent ministers in the area of specialization for which they are prepared. The certification of Lay Ecclesial Ministers may also provide legal safeguards for both new and existing individual Lay Ecclesial Ministers and arch/diocesan parish communities. Co-Workers points out the importance of formation in this manner:
"Ensuring the quality of pastoral care provided by lay ecclesial ministers requires a process for deciding that a given candidate has the education, formation, and professional skills necessary to serve in a particular role. This involves establishing the requirements for education, formation, and experience for specific ministerial roles and evaluating the extent to which individuals meet these requirements. This may vary from diocese to diocese, but the competence of those who serve needs to be verified in some way.
—Co-Workers, p. 56**
Arch/diocesan directors can benefit from the assessment process of candidates. This process will assist them in responding to the continuing education and formation needs of the Lay Ecclesial Ministers. This ongoing process will ultimately establish clearer standards of ministry competence and accountability for specialized ministries. The following criteria helps to guide this process:
—Co-Workers, p. 56
Subcommittee Chairman Bishop Gerald Kicanas describes how ministry formation standards strengthen and support the work of lay ministry leadership in the Church.
The process of certifying Lay Ecclesial Ministers will enhance collaborative efforts between academic institutions such as colleges, universities, and programs for lay formation within seminaries. Academic institution can benefit from the national certification standards for Lay Ecclesial Ministers since these standards provide a framework to demonstrate how their programs of study assist candidates in the process of certification. Certification also provides a common language for dialogue and collaboration between arch/diocesan office personnel and faculty members, who are responsible for providing programs for the formation of Lay Ecclesial Ministers and national organizations that certify their members.
Certification includes the opportunity for mentors to guide candidates as apprentices through the process of certification. Mentors nurture and foster discipleship with those Lay Ecclesial Ministers who are candidates for certification. Mentors benefit from the process of guiding certification candidates. Both mentors and candidates benefit from the experiences of reciprocity and mutual support:
—Co-Workers, pp. 29-30
Certification recognizes and validates the specific vocation of Lay Ecclesial Ministers. Certification affirms these ministers who are called by their baptism, and that they are uniquely commissioned to serve the church through the specialized ecclesial ministries for which they have been certified. The response to this call is often graced with a lifetime commitment and a sincere desire to be faithful witnesses of the Gospel for the purpose of establishing the reign of God and transformation of the world. The specific vocation of the Lay Ecclesial Minister and their authorization by the arch/diocesan bishop is emphasized in the following quotation:
—Co-Workers, p. 54
Certification then recognizes Lay Ecclesial Ministers as professional and competent in their respective areas of specialization. Certification also provides the individual with one of the primary elements necessary for the authorization by local church authority and function as a co-worker in the arch/diocese. This is emphasized in the following quotation:
—Co-Workers, p. 60
The process of becoming certified at the initial or renewal levels challenges Lay Ecclesial Ministers to greater authenticity and integrity. Certification documents credibility and becomes part of the resume of the Lay Ecclesial Minister. The process of certification also provides candidates with the opportunity to reflect on their specialized ministries, engage in self-analysis, and benefit from assessment by their peers whether they are just beginning or are experienced in their ministry:
—Co-Workers, p. 30
This process also provides candidates with a backdrop for ongoing assessment and formation. It emphasizes the need for life-long intellectual learning and spiritual formation as an essential component during the process both for initial and renewal of certification.
Certification of Lay Ecclesial Ministers benefits agencies, institutions, and church communities by assuring a higher quality of ministry for the people they serve. Both Lay Ecclesial Ministers and those to whom they minister benefit from ongoing effective ministry, and thereby value those certified as a vital part of their communities. As the number of certified Lay Ecclesial Ministers increases, both ministers and those to whom they minister benefit from the additional spiritual resources available to them. Certification reinforces higher expectations on the part of all. Certified ecclesial ministers are challenged to deliver quality service and sustained excellence as they fulfill their responsibilities. Agencies, institutions, and church communities have confidence that certified Lay Ecclesial Ministers are responsible agents of the church and are qualified to serve in the specialized ministry for which they have been certified.
**The original quotation mentions the defunct USCCB Commission on Certification and Accreditation. This body has been succeeded by the USCCB Subcommittee on Certification for Ecclesial Ministry & Service.
Carolanne Hauck, a board certified chaplain of the National Association of Catholic Chaplains, reflects on how their standards helped prepare her for her ministry.