Ministry lies at the heart of the Church’s participation in the mission of God. Every Christian is called through baptism to share in Christ’s ministry, using the gifts God has given for the service of the Church and the transformation of the world. Some are called to particular forms of recognised ministry, but all are called to witness, to serve and to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ.

91��Ƭ�� recognises a rich diversity of ministries, each contributing in different ways to the life and mission of the Church. Some ministries are ordained, some are commissioned, and many are exercised by lay people whose gifts sustain and enrich the life of local congregations every day.

Discerning God’s call is not simply about finding a role that suits our skills or interests. It is about listening together for where God is calling us to serve, and allowing the Church to help test and affirm that calling. Every ministry is different, but each shares the same purpose: to participate in God’s mission of bringing hope, justice, reconciliation and new life.

Ministry of Word and Sacraments

Ministers of Word and Sacraments are called to preach the gospel, celebrate the Sacraments, exercise pastoral oversight and equip God’s people for ministry. They serve not simply as leaders of congregations, but as those who help the Church discern God’s will, nurture discipleship and enable mission.

Within the United Reformed Church this ministry may be exercised in a variety of ways. Some ministers serve in stipendiary appointments, while others serve in recognised non-stipendiary ministries. Some are called to local pastoral leadership, others to pioneer new forms of church or to serve in specialist ministries. Whatever the context, the ministry is rooted in the faithful proclamation of God’s Word and the pastoral care of God’s people.

Church Related Community Work (CRCW)

Church Related Community Workers (CRCWs) are ordained ministers whose primary focus is the Church’s mission within local communities. Rather than beginning with the gathered congregation, CRCWs begin by listening to their neighbourhoods, working alongside local people to address poverty, isolation, inequality and injustice.

Their ministry helps churches become deeply rooted in the communities they serve, enabling people to work together for lasting social change while bearing witness to the transforming love of Christ. CRCW ministry is both professional community development and Christian ministry, bringing together faith, justice and practical action.

Explore Community Work (CRCW)

Lay Ministries

The ministry of the Church is sustained by the gifts of countless lay people who serve in local congregations and communities. Elders share with ministers in the pastoral oversight and spiritual leadership of the local church. Lay Preachers and Worship Leaders lead worship, preach the gospel and help congregations grow in faith. Many others exercise ministries of pastoral care, children’s and youth work, discipleship, administration, music and mission.

These ministries remind us that leadership in the Church belongs to the whole people of God and that every Christian has gifts to offer in God’s service.

Lay Preaching

Lay Preachers have long played a vital part in the life and witness of the United Reformed Church. Called by God and recognised by the Church, they are authorised to lead worship and preach the gospel across congregations, bringing theological insight, pastoral sensitivity and a deep commitment to helping others encounter Christ.

Lay preaching is much more than filling a preaching rota. It is a ministry of proclaiming God’s Word, interpreting Scripture faithfully, and helping congregations reflect on the relationship between faith and everyday life. Lay Preachers often serve across several churches, offering continuity, encouragement and fresh perspectives within pastorates and Synods.

The ministry of a Lay Preacher is exercised in partnership with Ministers of Word and Sacraments, Elders and Worship Leaders, reflecting the United Reformed Church’s understanding that the ministry of the Church belongs to the whole people of God. Through careful preparation, theological study, prayer and worship leadership, Lay Preachers help nurture discipleship and enable congregations to grow in faith, hope and love.

For many, lay preaching also becomes a place of ongoing discernment, where gifts are recognised and a deeper sense of vocation begins to emerge. Whether serving occasionally or regularly across a number of churches, Lay Preachers make an indispensable contribution to the worshipping life and mission of the United Reformed Church.

Pioneer Ministry

God is continually calling the Church into new places. Pioneer ministers are called to establish new Christian communities among people who may have little or no connection with existing churches. They are gifted in listening, building relationships, innovation and helping new expressions of Christian community emerge.

Pioneer ministry often takes place beyond the walls of traditional church buildings, seeking fresh ways of sharing the gospel that are rooted in local culture while remaining faithful to the life and witness of the wider Church.

Read about Pioneer Ministry

Chaplaincy

Chaplains represent the Church in places where people live, work, learn and receive care. They serve in hospitals, schools, universities, prisons, workplaces, care homes, the armed forces and many other settings.

Chaplaincy is a ministry of presence as much as proclamation. Chaplains accompany people through moments of joy, uncertainty, crisis and hope, offering compassionate pastoral care to people of every faith and none, while witnessing to the love of Christ through attentive listening, prayer and practical support.

Many people describe God’s call not as a dramatic moment but as a quiet, persistent invitation. It may begin with a growing sense that God is asking something new of you, an increasing awareness of particular gifts, or the encouragement of others who recognise those gifts in you.

Discerning a vocation is not something we do alone. 91��Ƭ�� believes that calling is tested and affirmed within the worshipping community. Through prayer, conversation, experience and reflection, we seek together to recognise where God is leading.

You do not need to have every answer before taking the first step. Whether you are wondering about ordained ministry, lay leadership, community work or another form of service, the important thing is simply to begin the conversation. God continues to call women and men, young and old, from every walk of life to share in Christ’s ministry today.

Stepwise: Learning & Growing

Stepwise is the URC’s flexible, mentored learning programme designed to help you explore your faith and your personal calling in daily life. It’s the perfect, low-pressure starting point for anyone wondering “what’s next?”

Explore Stepwise

Speak to Someone (Ministry Enquirers)

Sometimes, just talking it through with someone who understands makes all the difference. You can attend a Ministry Enquirers’ Event, speak with your local minister, or reach out to your Synod’s Vocations Advisor for an informal, supportive chat.

Get in touch about Vocations

Education & Learning

Enabling lifelong learning for all God’s people through resources, opportunities and training

Discover learning opportunities

If you are beginning to wonder whether God may be calling you to a particular ministry, we would love to help you explore that possibility. Speak to your minister or church elders, contact your Synod, or get in touch with the Ministries Team.

Together we can help you discern where God may be leading and how your gifts might be used in the service of Christ and his Church.

Are you an active URC minister, elder, or lay leader looking for official policies, the Ministers’ Handbook, or pension documents? All administrative guidelines, capability processes, and conduct policies have moved to our dedicated Resource Hub.

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Ministerial Standing & Formal Procedures

While our general resources have moved to the Hub, the formal policies governing ministerial standing, the Roll of Ministers, and official processes remain anchored here for quick reference. Click any of the links below to view or download the official guidelines directly from the Resource Hub.

Retired Ministers’ Housing Society

The RMHS looks after retired or former URC ministers or their widowed partners who, due to age, ill health, disability or financial hardship, are in need of housing or housing assistance

A guide to the pension fund.

Worship resources

Run the Race Glasgow is an initiative of Churches Together in Glasgow.

Using themes that draw on the activities of sports and competition, Commissioner Ivor Telfer (Salvation Army) has collated sports-related Scripture passages, together with prayers, and sermon and talk outlines.

The resource doesn’t offer complete orders of worship but is designed to be a place to start planning worship. These are ideas to help stimulate your own creativity, using the focus of the 2026 Commonwealth Games (July 23 – August 2) to connect sporting endeavour with faith, reflection and prayer.

• Run the Race worship resources [Word]
• Run the Race worship resources [PDF]

Read more about

Image: William Warby | Pexels

Worship materials

Wise Words 4 All: 2026 Children’s and Youth Work Theme

Resources designed to support all churches, regardless of whether they have children and young people in their midst. This resource focusses on Wise Words and has been designed to offer many starting places  for worship, youth groups, small discussion groups, toddler groups and more.

Within this resource you will find ways to explore the particular wisdom of the URC contained in our Statement of Nature, Faith and Order; the Charter for Children; and expressed in our approach to making decisions. You will be challenged to hear wise words from unexpected sources: different ages, different cultures, different media, different places. Online you will find even more resources, including colouring pages, a puzzle page, an intergenerational people bingo sheet, and some mutual interviews to conduct.

You’ll find a wide variety of ways to involve everyone, whatever their age or stage, across the year, and you will discover a wealth of material to enjoy with children, young people, young adults and in intergenerational contexts.

The resource headings for sections are only guides – please don’t limit yourself to those that most obviously fit your context as you will find great ideas you can adapt in other places.

If you don’t have any children of young people connected with your church, please:

• Enjoy the colouring pages and use some of the prayers, Bible studies and other materials with your adult groups
• Pray for those churches nearest to you which do, and the children and young people in your local community
• Offer these resources to your nearest uniformed group or school

Process for the removal from the roll following a disciplinary case

1. The Lord Jesus Christ continues his ministry in and through the Church, the whole people of God called and committed to his service and equipped by him for it. To equip his people for this total ministry the Lord Jesus Christ gives particular gifts for particular ministries and calls people to exercise them in offices duly recognised within his Church namely, Ministers of Word and Sacraments, Church Related Community Workers and Elders. Those who enter on such ministries commit themselves to them for so long as God wills (Basis of Union para 20).

2. The church places various expectations on Ministers of the Word and Sacraments (Ministers) and Church Related Community Workers (CRCWs). Recognising the trust the Church places in those who minister in its name it requires promises of both Ministers and CRCWs at ordination and commissioning which are renewed at all subsequent inductions. When these expectations are found to have been breached, the General Assembly has delegated authority to the Assembly Commission for Discipline and the Disciplinary Appeals Commission to delete the name of a Ministers and CRCWs from the Roll.

3. Ministers or CRCWs whose name has been deleted from the Roll do not have the privileges and responsibilities of Ministers or CRCWs and should refrain from all activity which may lead others to believe that they are acting as ministers of religion. (Basis of Union Schedule E para 5 and Schedule F para 5). Therefore, Ministers should not be afforded the honorific style of “The Reverend” and should refrain from using it.

4. A minister is a member of a local church by virtue of being minister of that church. Ministers or CRCWs whose name has been deleted from the Roll may remain as a member of the URC with the rights and responsibilities of that membership (Basis of Union Schedule E para 5 and Schedule F para 5) unless the Assembly Commission states otherwise as part of the sanctions placed on the minister as an outcome of the process. They should move their membership to a local church they have not served in a ministerial capacity.

5. A minister whose name is deleted from the Roll will receive a gratuitous end of ministry payment as a pastoral measure equivalent to 3 months net stipend by monthly instalments. This will be subject to the normal deductions of tax and National Insurance. This payment is non pensionable. From the moment of deletion, no contributions to their pension will be made or accepted by the AON Master Trust. However, their rights to the pension already earned are safeguarded by law.

6. All allowances (eg car, housing, telecoms, children’s) cease at the same time as the stipend at point of deletion.

7. Time given to allow vacation of the manse is a decision of the trustees of the property, normally the Synod Trust or, in the case of Assembly Appointed ministers, the URC Trust.

8. Retirement Housing is only made available for qualifying Ministers and CRCWs on the Roll. Those whose names are deleted from the Roll are no longer eligible for housing in retirement. The Retired Ministers’ Housing Society (RMHS) will be informed immediately of the decision to remove a retired Minister or CRCW from the Roll by the Deputy General Secretary (Ministries).

9. If the minister or CRCW is already a tenant in RMHS housing when the decision to delete from the Roll is taken, it shall be a matter for the RMHS to determine whether the minister or CRCW remains in the property.

10. In the case of Ministers and CRCWs whose entry into the URC was through a Certificate of Eligibility, and where they have remained on the Roll of their parent denomination for cultural, historical or financial reasons (H2 Ministers of the Word and Sacraments on more than one Roll MC 2019), their parent denomination will be informed by the Deputy General Secretary (Ministries) of the decision to delete the Minister’s/CRCW’s name from the Roll outlining the reasons in full.

Last revised: November 2025

Download this information

• Process for the removal from the roll following a disciplinary case (Word | 73kb)

Previous candidates need not apply. Housing sector background is a mandatory requirement. 

Finance Operations Manager (Retired Ministers’ Housing Society)

• London
• Permanent contract, Part-time (28 hours per week)
• Salary: £55,000 per annum (FTE)
• Closing date for applications: 9 am, Wednesday 11 March 2026
• Interview date: Monday 16 March 2026

Job Advert

The URC Retired Ministers’ Housing Society seeks a qualified and experienced finance professional in a standalone role which can be made your own.

The Finance Operations Manager is responsible for the management of all finance activity within the RMHS. This ranges from some administrative oversight of financial transactions, through the effective management of accounts payable and robust management accounting. The postholder will also help plan the future long term financial viability of the Society through the refinement of long term financial modelling, working closely with the CEO, alongside budget-setting, forecasting, and financial reporting, and ensuring compliance.

You will be a qualified accountant. You will be conversant with accounting regulations and recommended practice, charity reporting and PAYE. You will also be a successful team player who is capable of leading through a period of change. Experience in the implementation and development of IT systems would be a distinct advantage, as would familiarity with housing finance. You will have at least five years of experience in operational and management finance, accounting, and financial reporting. We can offer you a flexible and friendly work environment: Hybrid working from London and from home.

Apply for this post

If you are interested in working for us and can meet the above requirements, please read the job description and share your CV along with a covering letter to recruitment@urc.org.uk

• Job description(PDF | 149kb)

 

Go with Greta and Connect to Transcarpathia

Welcome to our free online teaching resource to help children, young people and adults become more involved in mission, global development and social justice.

The latest region we’re visiting is Transcarpathia.

There are two elements to this resource, and each one is aimed at different age groups:

• Go with Greta is the name of the materials aimed at children aged between 5 and 10
• #Connect2 is the name of the resources aimed at older children in the 11 to 14 age range

For hard copies of the booklet, please email commitmentforlife@urc.org.uk giving your postal address and preferred number of copies.

Tap the tabbed pages below to download the each booklet or the five individual sessions for each age group.

All the images and a pack of recipes from both resources are available on request from children.youth@urc.org.uk