Grow Lay Learning Courses
Grow: Equipping God’s People to Serve with Joy
Grow is an exciting new series of courses designed to enable people to grow in their faith and service to God and the church.
Every follower of Jesus is called into ministry. That word often makes us think of people who stand at the front of church and do particular jobs, but as St Paul writes: “There are different kinds of working but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God working.” (1 Corinthians 12:6)
To help you explore this, the Diocese of Exeter has created a suite of online courses that provide basic learning in a number of different roles. You may have completed the Foundations in Christian Ministry (FiCM) course and are wondering what to do next, or you may just be starting your learning journey. You may be fulfilling a really vital role in your local church, or you may have been asked to think about where you can use your time and energy in a local context. The Grow series of learning aims to help you with those things.
There are no prior requirements for these courses.
GROW Courses for September 2026 to July 2027
Growing in Prayer – led by Rev’d Sally Dakin, for lay people looking to enrich their prayer and spiritual lfe, to support others to Grow in Prayer and to learn how to lead our congregations in prayer. This course is online book here.
| Thursday 1 October | Session 1 | 7.30pm – 9.00pm |
| Thursday 8 October | Session 2 | 7.30pm – 9.00pm |
| Thursday 15 October | Session 3 | 7.30pm – 9.00pm |
| Thursday 22 October | Session 4 | 7.30pm – 9.00pm |
GROW: Introduction to Preaching – For lay people interested in learning more about what it means to preach and how sermons may be constructed. It will be especially helpful for those who have completed Foundations and who are exploring their next steps and want to learn more about specific aspects of ministry. This course will be led by Rev’d Philip Sourbut and Rev’d Hannah Alderson. This course is online book here.
| Wednesday 7 October | Session 1 | 7.30pm – 9.00pm |
| Wednesday 14 October | Session 2 | 7.30pm – 9.00pm |
| Wednesday 21 October | Session 3 | 7.30pm – 9.00pm |
| Wednesday 28 October | Session 4 | 7.30pm – 9.00pm |
| Wednesday 25 November | Session 5 | 7.30pm – 9.00pm |
GROW: Introduction to Leading Worship – led by Rev’d Leisa Potter. This short course is aimed at those who are leading or would like to lead and / or help construct short non-eucharistic services. It will be especially helpful to those who have completed Foundations and are exploring their next steps and want to learn more about specific aspects of ministry or for churchwardens in vacancy who may need to lead worship to cover services in their parish or benefice. You do not need to have prior experience of leading worship but if you have you will be able to build on prior learning to improve your understanding and skills.
These five 90-minute sessions will explore the context and content of services, including aspects of liturgy, music, prayer, people and place. You will also learn about which aspects you can lead and where you may need outside input (e.g., sermons / preaching). There will be opportunities to consider how various components work together and to work with others to put your learning into practice. This course is online book here.
| Thursday 21 January | Session 1 | 7.30pm – 9.00pm |
| Thursday 28 January | Session 2 | 7.30pm – 9.00pm |
| Thursday 11 February | Session 3 | 7.30pm – 9.00pm |
| Thursday 18 February | Session 4 | 7.30pm – 9.00pm |
| Thursday 25 February | Session 5 | 7.30pm – 9.00pm |
GROW: Digital Ministry – The Digital Ministry Grow Course is aimed at anyone involved in church communications and tech, or anyone who would like to be. Over 4 weeks, we will look at the theology of Digital Ministry and cover practical skills for good communications and engagement in church services, on social media, through church websites and in print too. The course will be delivered by the Diocese of Exeter Communications and Engagement Team with contributions from guest experts. This course is online book here.
| Wednesday 7 April | Session 1 | 7.00pm – 8.30pm |
| Wednesday 14 April | Session 2 | 7.00pm – 8.30pm |
| Wednesday 21 April | Session 3 | 7.00pm – 8.30pm |
| Wednesday 28 April | Session 4 | 7.00pm – 8.30pm |
Leading From The Front is available now as a downloadable course – https://exeter.anglican.org/ministry/lay-ministry/lay-learning/leadingfromthefront/
To book onto future courses, please visit the Training & Development webpage.
Please email [email protected] if you are having problems booking onto the courses.
Who do I contact to find out more?
Please email our Mission and Ministry team to find out more information. Click here to email the Mission and Ministry team.
Is there anyone I should discuss this with before I book a place?
We strongly encourage you to speak to your church leader or another Christian leader at the beginning of this journey. It is important to note that completion of these courses does not guarantee a role at the end; the learning itself will support your journey as a disciple, but your local church may well want to use you for the mission of the Church.
You may be also be considering whether you are being called to ordained ministry. Find out more here. Another option is Reader Ministry which is a role that is highly trained, and is a Licensed voluntary position. Learn more here.
