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STEP
Courses and the National Certification Standards for Lay Ecclesial
Ministers
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The National Association for Lay Ministry (NALM), the National Conference for Catechetical Leadership (NCCL), and the National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry (NFCYM) formed a joint committee in 1999 to develop a common set of competency-based certification standards for lay ecclesial ministers represented by the organizations. The standards and competencies focused on the following ministerial roles:
The final version of standards has been completed and was approved by the USCCB Commission on Certification and Accreditation in 2003. The following is a listing of various competencies and standards that can be address through a corresponding STEP video lecture or online course.
Core Competencies 1.3 Reflect commitment to the Gospel through regular prayer, ongoing study and theological reflection, action on behalf of justice, and fulfillment of ministerial responsibility. 1.7 Engage in personal, life-long faith formation and continuing education. All of STEP’s services can be an effective vehicle to meet the italicized portions of the above competencies.
1.8 PCL Identify the various Christian spiritualities informing personal faith development. "The Integration of Faith and Everyday Life" (STEP video lecture) provides several perspectives of living the way of Christ. It can be an entry point into defining various spiritualities that inform everyone’s faith development.
2a A lay ecclesial minister identifies the call to formal and public ministry as a vocation rooted in baptism. The primary educational objective of "Discipleship and Ministry Empowered by Baptism" (STEP video lecture) is to illuminate this reality for the student and to see it in light of the Church’s primary mission of evangelization.
2.3 Accept and articulate one’s ministerial vocation as coming from God and confirmed by the ecclesial community. In addition to "Discipleship and Ministry Empowered by Baptism", "Discipleship for the Transformation of the World Today" (STEP video lectures) bolsters the idea of discipleship and ministry as a vocation. 2.4 Model ecclesial ministry, collaboration, and leadership on the example of Jesus. "Pastoral
Collaboration: How Do We Do All This Together?" (STEP video
lecture) provides good quality content about collaboration and leadership. As mentioned above, both "Discipleship and Ministry Empowered by Baptism" and "Discipleship for the Transformation of the World Today" can aid the student in meeting this competency.
2.6 PCL Engage in ongoing professional education and formation 2.8 PCL Respond to the grace of leadership in catechetical ministry as a response to baptism. All
of STEP’s offerings can help a catechist accomplish competency
2.6 and the two video lectures mentioned immediately above can directly
address competency 2.8.
Core Competencies 3.1 Know and integrate into ministerial practice a theology of revelation as embodied in Scripture, tradition and creation by: "Introduction to the New Testament", "Introduction to the Old Testament" (in development), "Introduction to the Letters of St. Paul" and "Biblical Literary Forms" (STEP online courses) can address this competency and all of its component standards. 3.2 Know and Integrate into ministerial practice a theology of God as one and triune, Jesus Christ and the human person by: With the possible exception of 3.2.3 and 3.2.4, "The Creed: We Believe" and "Jesus Christ: Yesterday and Today" (STEP online courses) can address this competency. With some additional resources these courses can also address 3.2.3 and 3.2.4. 3.3.4 Explaining the role of Mary and the communion of saints in prayer and the church tradition.
"Mary:
Mother of God" (in
development) provides ample content and instruction
for this competency. "The New Evangelization" (STEP video lecture) can address the italicized portion of the above competency. 3.4 Know and integrate into ministerial practice a theology of liturgy/worship by: "Introduction to Sacraments", "Eucharist: Source and Summit of the Christian Life", "Liturgy: a Guide for the Perplexed" (STEP online courses) can provide the theory aspect of this ultimately practiced competency. 3.5 Know and integrate into ministerial practice a theology of sacraments by: "Introduction to Sacraments" and "Liturgy: A Guide for the Perplexed" (STEP online courses) meet this competency. 3.7 Know and integrate into ministerial practice a theology of the moral life, including Catholic social teaching for the transformation of the church and society by: "Christian Conscience and Ethical Dilemmas" (STEP online course) will correlate to this competency and its subordinate standards. It addresses catholic social teaching through several documents, though, it is not a course exclusively organized around catholic social teaching. 3.8 Know and integrate a theology of Catholic spirituality into prayer and ministerial practice by: "On Prayer" (STEP online course) provides a significant amount of content which can address this competency and its subordinate standards.
3.10 PCL Convey a Catholic understanding of conscience, conscience formation and the process of moral decision-making. The first two units of "Christian Conscience and Ethical Dilemmas" (STEP online course) will meet this competency. 3.13 PCL Articulate an understanding of the relations of the persons of the Trinity with the mission of Jesus. "Jesus Christ: Yesterday and Today" (STEP online course) provides a patristic, scholastic, and modern response to trinitarian inquiry. 3.18 PCL Explore the meaning of inspiration, historical development, literary criticism and biblical themes in an age appropriate manner. "A Catholic Reading of Holy Scripture" (STEP video lecture) and any of the STEP scripture online courses will address this competency. 3.19 PCL Demonstrate an understanding and appreciation of the various rituals of the Catholic Church. "An Introduction to Sacraments" and "Liturgy: A Guide for the Perplexed" will meet this competency. 3.21 PCL Explore the impact of Mary and the saints on contemporary culture. "Mary: Mother of God" (in development) will comply with this competency. A synopsis of the competencies with their correlating STEP courses and lectures will open in the Adobe Acrobat Reader and can be printed by clicking on the print icon on the Adobe toolbar. If you do not have the Adobe Acrobat Reader (which is necessary to view .pdf files) installed on your computer, please click here to download the free Reader.
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