lay reader

American  

noun

Anglican Church.

1. a layperson authorized by a bishop to conduct certain parts of a service.

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lay reader British  

noun

1. Church of England a person licensed by a bishop to conduct religious services other than the Eucharist

2. RC Church a layman chosen from among the congregation to read the epistle at Mass and sometimes other prayers

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Etymology

Origin of lay reader

First recorded in 1745–55

Example Sentences

For the historian or biographer, such details are inescapably important; for the lay reader, they can become wearisome.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 27, 2026

Joy Gambardella, a lay reader at the city’s Emmanuel Church, said Al Swealmeen had been a “committed Christian”.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 17, 2021

Along with a call to remember the sick and shut-in, the lay reader asks parishioners to pray for Father Charlie’s eyesight and injured arm.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 25, 2019

Of the four worshipers, one was a lay reader, Edna Tan, who came to the United States from the Philippines 27 years ago.

From New York Times • Nov. 13, 2016

It may be observed, parenthetically, for the benefit of the lay reader, that in telegraphy the device known as the relay is a receiving instrument containing an electromagnet adapted to respond to the weak line-current.

From Edison, His Life and Inventions by Dyer, Frank Lewis