An Anglican lay reader in choir habit. Choir dress is the vesture of the Clerics seminarians and religious of traditional churches worn for public prayer either apart from the

A lay reader (in some jurisdictions, notably the Church of England, simply Reader) is a layperson authorized by a bishop of the Anglican Church to read some parts of a service of worship. The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England, the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican The term " layman " originated from the use of the term Laity, but over the centuries changed definition to mean a person who is a non-expert in a given field of A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight See also Anglicanism The Anglican Communion is an international association of national Anglican churches In the Protestant denominations of Christianity, a service of worship is a meeting whose primary purpose is the Worship of God. Anglican lay readers are licensed by the bishop to a particular parish or to the diocese at large. A parish is a Local church; it is an administrative unit typically found in episcopal or presbyterian churches In many rites of the Roman Catholic Church and in Anglican churches, a diocese is an administrative territorial unit administered by a Bishop. In the former case, in some areas, their tenure expires with the resignation of the parish priest. In the Anglican tradition, the role of licensed lay readers, whose prominence varies by region, is similar to that of a Methodist local preacher, and can involve:

• Conducting Mattins, Evensong, and Compline
• Reciting the Litany
• Publishing banns of marriage
• Preaching, teaching, and assisting in pastoral care
• Conducting funerals (this often requires additional specific permission from the diocesan bishop, and the agreement of the family of the deceased)
• Distributing (though not celebrating) Holy Communion. A Methodist local preacher is a lay person who has been accredited by a Methodist church to lead worship on a regular basis Morning Prayer (also Mattins or Matins) in the various editions of the Book of Common Prayer and other Anglican liturgical texts Evening Prayer is a Liturgy in use in the Anglican Communion (and other churches in the Anglican tradition such as the Continuing Anglican Movement and Compline (ˈkɒmplɪn also Complin, Night Prayer, Prayers at the End of the Day) is the final church service (or Office) of the day in the A litany, in Christian worship, is a form of Prayer used in Church services and Processions and consisting of a number of petitions The banns of marriage, commonly known simply as "the banns " (from an Old English word meaning "to summon" are the public announcement in A sermon is an oration by a Prophet or member of the Clergy. Sermons address a Biblical, theological, or religious topic Pastoral care is the ministry of care and Counseling provided by Pastors Chaplains and other religious leaders to members of their Church, A funeral is a Ceremony marking a person's Death. Funerary customs comprise the complex of Beliefs and practices used by a Culture to remember A diocesan Bishop is a bishop in charge of a Diocese. These are to be distinguished from Suffragan bishops assistant bishops, coadjutor bishops The Eucharist, also called Holy Communion or Lord's Supper and other names is a Christian Sacrament by which in a common interpretation those

Although in many parishes, these duties can be performed by any reasonably competent lay person who has been properly instructed, the key to the Reader's license is that he or she is permitted to do them in the absence of a priest. Licensed Readers are entitled to wear a blue tippet with choir dress. A tippet is a Stole or Scarf -like narrow piece of clothing worn around the arms and above the elbow

See also

• Laity
• Clergy
• Reader (liturgy)
• Methodist local preacher (United Kingdom & Australia)
• Lay speaker (United States)