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Local Ministry Teams

Local Ministry Teams (or Local Shared Ministry Teams) are one way of answering the question of leadership in small congregations. They are being developed in Presbyterian Congregations in urban and rural settings and with Anglicans and Methodists and other partners in Co-operating Ventures.

A Local Ministry Team (LMT) is a form of locally provided (or local shared) ministry leadership in which the responsibilities of "the minister" are exercised by a small group of local leaders and training and support for them and the wider leadership of the congregation is provided by a resource minister or ministry enabler.

Local Ministry Teams were introduced in the Presbyterian Church in 2002. Similar ministry arrangements are being developed in Anglican and Methodist churches and we are learning from their experience.

The regulatory framework in the Book of Order, Ministry Regulations, and Student Regulations and other documents are available from Local Ministry on the Presbyterian website. These are intended to ensure that the Parish knows what it wants, that people are chosen, trained and supported well, and that responsibility towards the wider church through the Presbytery is exercised. Documentation for Cooperating Ventures (CVs) is also being developed.

Local Ministry Teams are suitable where there is a strong commitment to encouraging the gifts of the whole people of God, and the faith to believe that the congregation can itself provide the ministry and leadership needed to maintain worship and mission.

There needs to be a willingness to work with others in mutual encouragement and accountability. Healthy teams need to learn skills of honesty and affirmation and develop a culture of encouragement in the congregation as a whole, but this is not necessarily easy.

The LMT option tends to suit parishes that do not see themselves in the position of calling a NOM or a LOM. Small congregations who are part of a larger regional parish can also thrive in a whole new way by developing a Local Ministry Team.