Permission to preach

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Muzhik

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What would I need to do, as a lay person, to get permission to preach a sermon, or is that something that is reserved only to the priest/bishop?
 
If you mean the homily during the Liturgy of the Word, then only an ordained minister (deacon, priest or bishop) can do that.

However, things like reflections are something else, and it varies from parish to parish.
 
What is reserved for the ordained will remain so. If by preaching you mean giving the homily after the Gospel at Mass you cannot be granted permission. Only ordained deacons, priests, or bishops can deliver a homily.

There are may be other opportunities in your local parish to teach or, as you say, preach. You should discuss those opportunities with your pastor.
 
There are several opportunities for a layman to teach in the church however. Some options to consider
  • Children’s Liturgy of the Word
  • RCIA classes
  • Bible studies
  • Adult faith formation
  • Confirmation classes
  • First Holy Communion classes
  • Baptism preparation for parents
 
peter26 said:
There are several opportunities for a layman to teach in the church however. Some options to consider
  • Children’s Liturgy of the Word
  • RCIA classes
  • Bible studies
  • Adult faith formation
  • Confirmation classes
  • First Holy Communion classes
  • Baptism preparation for parents
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Isn’t preaching a bit different from teaching?
 
To a degree, but it is largely the same skills set, the ability to explain information to others.
 
What brought this to mind was the possibility of preaching a sermon in a friend’s (Protestant) church. I could be doing a sermon/presentation/lesson (however you want to put it) on the Crucifixion and how all the things that were done to Jesus were in fact prophesied in the Old Testament. Also, I’d want to make the point that you cannot get to the empty tomb without going through the crucifixion first.
 
Muzhik said:
What brought this to mind was the possibility of preaching a sermon in a friend’s (Protestant) church. I could be doing a sermon/presentation/lesson (however you want to put it) on the Crucifixion and how all the things that were done to Jesus were in fact prophesied in the Old Testament. Also, I’d want to make the point that you cannot get to the empty tomb without going through the crucifixion first.
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What kind of church? Lutheran? Presbyterian? Non-denominational? And have you been invited?
 
Muzhik said:
What brought this to mind was the possibility of preaching a sermon in a friend’s (Protestant) church.
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Aah. Well… yes, then: if a Protestant denomination allows you to be a guest preacher, then that’s at their discretion. However, in the Catholic Church, only an ordained member of the clergy (i.e., priest or deacon) is able to preach at a Mass.
 
I would stay away from such an undertaking. It is not at all appropriate.
 
Chatter163 said:
I would stay away from such an undertaking. It is not at all appropriate.
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If it is an opportunity to present Catholic truth, done with the permission and invitation of whoever is in charge in the friend’s church, how would it not be appropriate?
 
DaveBj said:
If it is an opportunity to present Catholic truth, done with the permission and invitation of whoever is in charge in the friend’s church, how would it not be appropriate?
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Highly unusual for a non-clergy Roman Catholic to be invited to preach Catholicism in a non-Catholic worship service.
 
ComplineSanFran said:
Highly unusual for a non-clergy Roman Catholic to be invited to preach Catholicism in a non-Catholic worship service.
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That isn’t what seems to be happening here, though. It seems to be a look through the Old Testament to show how Jesus’ death and crucifixion was prophesied in Hebrew scripture. This is something that can universally be accepted by Christians of all churches and denominations, I guess.
 
Micosil said:
That isn’t what seems to be happening here, though. It seems to be a look through the Old Testament to show how Jesus’ death and crucifixion was prophesied in Hebrew scripture. This is something that can universally be accepted by Christians of all churches and denominations, I guess.
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It would be more than that. It would be covering the mechanics of crucifixion, i.e., the crown of thorns was an Eastern-style crown, which is a cap, rather than the image we have of a circlet; death was by exsanguination, i.e., Jesus bled to death, which caused his heart to literally break, as shown by the “blood and water” flowing from the lance wound. A lot of stuff that the protestants, with their emphasis of “the victory of the empty tomb” simply have never learned because it wasn’t important to them. It’s why so many protestants couldn’t understand the Pope’s comments about the Cross during the Mass in Philadelphia, and why so VERY many protestants cannot comprehend what G_D is asking of us when Paul says, “I have been crucified in Christ”.
 
Muzhik said:
It would be more than that. It would be covering the mechanics of crucifixion, i.e., the crown of thorns was an Eastern-style crown, which is a cap, rather than the image we have of a circlet; death was by exsanguination, i.e., Jesus bled to death, which caused his heart to literally break, as shown by the “blood and water” flowing from the lance wound. A lot of stuff that the protestants, with their emphasis of “the victory of the empty tomb” simply have never learned because it wasn’t important to them. It’s why so many protestants couldn’t understand the Pope’s comments about the Cross during the Mass in Philadelphia, and why so VERY many protestants cannot comprehend what G_D is asking of us when Paul says, “I have been crucified in Christ”.
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And have you been invited by the powers-that-be to preach this material during the church worship?
 
ComplineSanFran said:
And have you been invited by the powers-that-be to preach this material during the church worship?
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It’s more in the “sending out feelers” stage. I wanted to be sure that, as a man under authority, I obeyed that authority (my bishop) before getting too far in the process.
 
What denomination church is it?

And why, if you haven’t been asked, would you see yourself doing this? I’m quite curious.
 
ComplineSanFran said:
What denomination church is it?

And why, if you haven’t been asked, would you see yourself doing this? I’m quite curious.
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Non-denominational Christian. The possibility arose from discussions with a friend who mentioned to his minister he has a friend who knows a lot about this stuff. No invitation, I just want to get my ducks in a row so that if there IS an invitation I would be able, in good conscience, accept it (or if unable to accept it, be able to explain why.)
 
Muzhik said:
Non-denominational Christian.
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Of course, there really is no such thing. Every such congregation follows someone’s own version/vision of the faith. That becomes apparent when one attends the service and hears the preaching. The non-denom name is more a marketing device than anything else.
 
Chatter163 said:
Of course, there really is no such thing. Every such congregation follows someone’s own version/vision of the faith. That becomes apparent when one attends the service and hears the preaching. The non-denom name is more a marketing device than anything else.
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I think the title ‘non-denominational’ refers more to the authority structure within the larger Christian institution. Roman Catholics have what you call the Magisterium. Anglicans have a similar structure of Deacons, Priests, and Bishops, all of which are structured within a parish and diocese, and then we have the larger Anglican Province - such as the national Episcopal Church of the Church of England, all of which are part of the Anglican Communion.

Presbyterians have churches and Presbyteries, and then the larger national PCUSA.

Non-denominational churches don’t have the larger denominational structure. They are, in essence, congregational.

The Pastor is the authority and it doesn’t go further outward.

Marketing? Well, we all have to consider marketing, don’t we?
 
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