BeADisciple.com is proud to host online advanced courses in Lay Servant Ministries! These courses are open to all people who want to lead well in whatever ministry context they find themselves – church, community, home, or work.
Lay Servant Ministries (LSM) courses are approved by Discipleship Ministries as required to renew UMC certification as a Certified Lay Servant, Certified Lay Speaker, or Certified Lay Minister. You’ll notice the “learning and leading” logo on all Discipleship Ministries-approved LSM courses.
“I am so glad that I conquered my nerves and jumped into this LSM class! I love that I can interact with people around the country that I would never meet otherwise – how wonderful is that?! Being in a study with the same people locally is comfortable, but being in a class with someone from Alaska or West Texas exposes me to people with different backgrounds and experiences than I will ever encounter otherwise.” – Cheryl B.
Core Advanced Courses
These courses meet the initial educational requirements to become a Lay Speaker.
These courses also meet the continuing education requirements for renewal of Certified Lay Servant (one advanced course every 3 years), Certified Lay Speaker (one advanced course every 3 years), or Certified Lay Minister (one advanced course every 2 years).
Click links to see the full course description and enrollment dates, or sign up for email notifications.
Polity Course:
Life Together in the United Methodist Connection
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- August 10 – 28, 2026
- October 12 – 30, 2026
- November 30 – December 18, 2026
Heritage Course:
Living Our United Methodist Beliefs
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- July 27 – August 14, 2026
- September 28 – October 16, 2026
- November 16 – December 5, 2026
Worship Course:
Leading Worship (Friday Zoom option) (Saturday AM Zoom option) (Saturday PM Zoom option)
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- July 13 – 24, 2026
- August 24 – September 5, 2026
- October 5 – 17, 2026
- November 30 – December 12, 2026
Prayer Course:
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- August 24 – September 4, 2026
- October 19 – 30, 2026
- December 07 – 18, 2026
Preaching Course Alternatives:
Called to Preach (Friday Zoom option) (Saturday Zoom option)
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- August 03 – 15, 2026
- October 26 – November 06, 2026
From Your Heart to Theirs: Delivering an Effective Sermon (Friday Zoom option) (Saturday Zoom option)
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- July 06 – 18, 2026
- September 14 – 26, 2026
- November 02 – November 14, 2026
Spiritual Gifts Course Alternatives:
Rediscovering Our Spiritual Gifts
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- August 17 – 28, 2026
- October 05 – 16, 2026
For the Common Good: Discovering and Using Your Spiritual Gifts
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- July 13 – 24, 2026
- September 21 – October 02, 2026
- December 07 – 18, 2026
Additional Advanced Courses
The courses below meet LSM re-certification requirements. Click on the title to see the course description, enroll, or sign up for a notification email when enrollment is available.
Afire With God: Becoming Spirited Stewards
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- November 9 – 20, 2026
Aging and Ministry in the 21st Century
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August 3 – 16, 2026
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Becoming Accountable Disciples
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- August 17 – 28, 2026
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- July 20–August 1, 2026
- November 2 – 14, 2026
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- No upcoming courses scheduled
Campus Ministry: Empowering Congregations to Support Students
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- June 22 – July 3, 2026
- October 19 – 30, 2026
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- September 28–October 30, 2026
Class Leaders: Recovering A Tradition
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- November 9–20, 2026
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- September 14 – 26, 2026
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- August 24 – September 4, 2026
Creating a Discipleship Growth Plan to See All the People
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- October 12 – 23, 2026
Devotional Life in the Wesleyan Tradition
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- November 30–December 11, 2026
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- September 28 – October 9, 2026
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- July 27–August 7, 2026
Fresh Expressions for Being the Church Today
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- July 20 – 31, 2026
- September 14 – 25, 2026
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- October 5–17, 2026
Justice and Kindness: Social Principles of the United Methodist Church
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- July 13 – 25, 2026
- October 12 – 23, 2026
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- October 19 – 30, 2026
Lay Servants as Christian Transformational Leaders
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- August 10–21, 2026
Leading Bible Study: Biblical Interpretation
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- November 9 – 20, 2026
Leading Missional Small Groups
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- October 26 – November 7, 2026
Loving People and Planet in God’s Name
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- October 19–30, 2026
Ministry with People Living with Dementia
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- July 27 – August 7, 2026
- October 26 – November 6, 2026
- September 14 – 25, 2026
Opening Ourselves to Grace: Basic Christian Practices
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- October 12 – 23, 2026
Patterned by Grace: How Worship Shapes Us
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- No upcoming courses scheduled
Proclaiming Scripture with a Storytelling Spirit for Lent
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- No upcoming courses scheduled
Proclaiming Scripture with a Storytelling Spirit for Summer
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- No upcoming courses scheduled
Proclaiming Scripture with a Storytelling Spirit for Advent
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- November 16 – December 21, 2026
Teaching Sacred Tension in Local Congregations
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- September 21 – October 2, 2026
- November 23 – December 4, 2026
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- November 23 – December 18, 2026
Teaching Biblical Faith: Leading Small Group Bible Studies
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- September 21–October 2, 2026
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- June 22 – July 03, 2026
- November 9 – 20, 2026
Questions about our Advanced LSM courses
Will these courses fulfill ALL my education requirements for certification?
Not entirely — but they do help! We don’t currently offer the BASIC Lay Servant Ministries course required to become a Certified Lay Servant in the United Methodist Church; you’ll have to take that course locally. We now offer all six courses required for initial Lay Speaker certification (listed in the first section below)!
These courses will help you renew your status as a Certified Lay Servant, Certified Lay Speaker, or Certified Lay Minister. Although you should note: while all of our LSM advanced courses are approved by Discipleship Ministries, you are advised to check with your own district laity director and conference LSM committee to make sure this online coursework will be accepted in your area, as each district and conference has its own set of guidelines.
Can I take these courses if I'm not an LSM, Lay Speaker, CLM, or even United Methodist?
Of course! Anyone is welcome to enroll in these courses for a great learning experience.
What happens when I complete an LSM course with BeADisciple.com?
Upon successful completion of these courses, you will receive a certificate of completion; however, it is your responsibility to self-report completion to your own district or conference system. We do not report this on your behalf, but we will confirm your completion upon inquiry from your district or conference if requested.
Where do I find more information?
For more information on Lay Servant Ministries, we recommend the LSM Catalog from Discipleship Ministries, the LSM Brochure from Discipleship Ministries, and the BeADisciple LSM flyer.