Melissa Rose is a Reader or Licensed Lay Minister (LLM) in Dudley. She was one of our first LLMs to be trained at Queen’s Theological college and was licensed in September 2015, originally to a different parish but moved to Dudley in 2018.
LLMs are primarily called to be ministers of the Word in pastoral, teaching and mission contexts. They are resources for parishes in thinking about what God’s calling for each church community might be. Their ministry is distinguished from most other lay ministries in requiring the Bishop’s licence under the canon law of the Church of England, and candidates must complete a two-year training course.
Melissa said: “We were the testers for the training, the Guinea pigs if you like, but it was truly excellent training. I certainly feel it equipped me for the role, gave me a voice and opened my mind beyond anything I was expecting.”
Melissa leads and preaches as part of the team rota for churches in the Dudley area. She is also Dudley deanery secretary and as part of that role organises the Dudley Leadership Team meetings and helps with Deanery Synod. She organises meet-ups for the LLMs and ALMs (Authorised Lay Ministers). She also gets involved in the Bible study groups and funeral ministry, and as a member of the congregation at Top Church, has chosen to serve on Sundays helping with the refreshments and also the Children’s work.
She says: “It was Sunday school that helped me find my own faith! I went to a few different ones at different churches growing up. I remember significant moments in my faith journey at age four and also eight but entering my teens I fell out with God for a while as I thought at the time that he wasn’t doing much for me. But then everything went wrong after that! Without God it felt like everything was just chaos. One of the Sunday school leaders explained the gospel really simply to me and at age 14 I decided to give God another chance, and I’ve never looked back.
Melissa added: “My decision to apply for the training to become an LLM came out of my desire to serve God and make as much difference as I can. I’ve always been involved in so many different parts of the church, but I wanted to understand more about the theology. I’m a people person! I want to help people grow in faith and it’s so rewarding to be a small part of people’s journeys, but I wanted to make sure I had the theological understanding as well.”
Melissa had never done anything like the LLM training before but enjoyed it so much she decided to stay on part-time to get her degree in Theology.
“What I most enjoy about the LLM role is the preaching and supporting people, although everyone knows I am happy to help with anything really. Last time someone asked me to help with something else they told me they’d come to me because ‘busy people know how to prioritise!’”
“Another part of the role I love is being part of the ‘LLM family’, our network of LLMs. We have weekends away for fellowship and time to connect with the Word and reflect together on it. Those weekends are really important to me. It’s where I’ve felt most loved and supported, particularly in tough times.”
Reflecting on the challenges of the role, Melissa said:
“For LLMs there are challenges particularly in working across churches with different clergy, who have their own perspectives and ways of doing things. I know it can be frustrating for LLMs who don’t feel included in the decision-making processes and might feel progress is being lost. It’s really important that LLMs continue to feel valued by clergy."
She added:
“I always whole-heartedly recommend becoming an LLM though. It is an amazing ministry. So enjoyable and worthwhile. I have had lots of people ask me about it and I always tell them not to doubt themselves but just to trust in God and go for it! You’ll get all the help and support you’ll need.”
