If this is a fair view then there had been a major change in the "mission statement" of Readers in the last ten years that has moved the office away from the functions of a lector and aligned it with the ministry of the Lay Preacher which can be observed in other denominations such as Methodism and the Baptist Union. However consideration must be given to the distinction between the acknowledgement of the change by commentators such as Lawton and the inclusion of the primary function in the regulations and the observation of the change in practice. This is illustrated by some Readers who have seen themselves as preachers for several decades and others who still prefer to spend their time in the liturgical and pastoral dimension and rarely preach.