ORGANISATION OF THE METHODIST CHURCH: PART 4

Local Preachers

Local preachers are again people who have felt called by God to preach the gospel. That call has been tested by the local circuit and training has been provided. A local preacher is allowed to conduct worship (for example on Sundays) but they are not allowed to administer sacraments.

As the name suggests, local preachers are members of one of the churches within a circuit. However, they can be called upon by the circuit to preach in any of its churches. They are unpaid by the church. They do not move on in the same way that a minister does. But clearly if they themselves decide to move (perhaps because of a change of job or for family reasons), then they can become a local preacher in the new circuit into which they move.