Local Ordained Ministers (LOMs) are Presbyterian ministers of word and sacrament ordained by a presbytery for ministry in a particular ministry context.
Local Ordained Ministry (LOM) was introduced in 2002 as one of four strands of ordained ministry in the Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand. The first Local Ordained Ministers were ordained in 2004. The original understanding of Local Ordained Ministry was that it enabled a local person to meet a local need; typically an elder within a congregation was trained and ordained into their own congregation so that they could step up to fill a ministerial vacancy. Since then the church has widened the scope of LOM appointments, to include people coming into a new district, or being called into chaplaincy or missional appointments. LOM procedures were reviewed in 2016, and the 2016 General Assembly approved changes to the Book of Order.
There are foundation theological study requirements to become a LOM. Click here for the foundation study requirements.
There are an important series of steps and processes to be aware of as candidates and ministry contexts consider LOM: Click here for a flowchart of the LOM process
IMPORTANT: Please note that the deadline for LOM applications to to Presbytery is April of any given year. The formal assessment takes place late-September/early-October.
Click here for the application form
Click here for a calendar for the application and assessment for LOM.
The distinctive characteristics of the LOM strand of ministry are:
- A focus on addressing the ministry needs of a local community
- Robust and comprehensive training in a flexible partnership training process
- On-the-job training, while being active and employed in a ministry role
- Recognition of a ministry within a particular context (which could be geographic, cultural or theological).
For information about Local Ordained Ministry and how to apply. Click here for the LOM Handbook