What is Ministry?

“Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.”

1 Corinthians 12:4-7

    Ministry itself is inherently a matter of service, both to the needs of individuals and the promotion of the common good. To engage in the work of ministry is to join the human community in the shared responsibility of tending to the conditions of each other as we collectively navigate a fallen world. Serving in the leadership of ministry work does not involve the pursuit of authority for its own sake, neither does it seek the privileges of preferential status or prominent distinction in society. By its very nature, ministry can only happen in community; and community, like love, cannot exist in a vacuum. The mutual care and cooperative stewardship essential to the existence of Christian ministry are carried out only when people are in relationship with each other, when one stands face to face with the other and encounters the image of God. Humanity has been commissioned for stewardship from the beginning, and ministering to the needs of one another and creation remains essential to its collective function. Amidst the “varieties of gifts,” “services,” and “activities,” which comprise the collective ministry of the worshipping assembly of God’s faithful, the functions and responsibilities of particular ministries differ in order to compliment each other (1 Cor 12:4-31). Though these differences lend themselves to variations in vocational experiences, they are called by the same Spirit to the communal Christian ministries of service and liberation.

    The episodes which chronicle my own religious narrative have all occurred within the context of community, and I believe they have been born out of a heart of service to the assembly and the desire to live as an active member of the Body which is resurrected and has liberated humanity from the bondage of sin and death. My theology of ministry has been continuously shaped by sacramental encounters with God in community with others, and while I do feel called to ordained ministry in service to the Church, I believe that God is glorified in the diversity of threads being intricately woven together to form the rich tapestry of the human family, progressively revealing the icon of the risen Lord and his victory over the grave. All are invited to this festal banquet, and many are called to different roles and responsibilities at this table. Ministry is not an endeavor which can be undertaken alone; it is born out of love, fostered in relationship and community. “If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many members, yet one body” (1 Cor 12:19-20). Practical Theology provides language and context for the ongoing and multifaceted work of Christian ministry, and lends itself to the discernment of various callings and the cultivation of unique gifts. Richard Osmer’s model of Practical Theology highlights the functions of collaborative ministry efforts to both observe and meet the needs of communities, thereby inspiring acts of solidarity and action opportune for the discernment of vocational strengths and spiritual gifts. By approaching theology with the cooperative efforts of intersectional disciplines and perspectives, the Church has every opportunity to participate in more authentic and wholistic ministries of service and liberation.

    Ministry includes the responsibility of beneficial stewardship. From the earliest commandment of God to humanity, regarding our relationship with the earth, “to till it and and keep it,” to God’s calling of Moses to proclaim liberation for the children of God held in captivity (Gen 2:15, Ex. 3:2-18), vocational ministry has maintained a long tradition of inviting the believer to humility and service to others. Jesus’ selection and commission of the disciples seems to have little to do with pristine qualifications or elite social status. Moses was not called to be Pharaoh, nor was Jesus sent to be Caesar. Biblical calls to what we might consider vocational ministry were not felt for titular authority or special privilege, but for tasks to accomplish and messages to proclaim. In his epistle to the Romans, St. Paul begins by calling himself as “a servant” and referring to his being “sent out” to proclaim the gospel of the resurrected Christ, indicative of his conviction to serve Christ and share his Good News (Rom 1:1). This, of course, is the ministry to which all the faithful are called, lay and ordained, and within that greater commission we collaborate with the Holy Spirit and each other to make use of the strengths—and, by the grace of God, even the weaknesses—with which we have been blessed, in order to shine with the light of Christ in our otherwise often darkened state.

    Baptism is the first ordination; foundational to the Christian priesthood of all believers are the promises affirmed in “The Baptismal Covenant” of The Book of Common Prayer. We see later, in “The Examination,” from the office for the Ordination of a Priest, vows which presume the precedent set by the previous baptism, simply elaborating further with particular sacramental and pastoral responsibilities, without any qualitative stratification between persons: “Now you are called to work as a pastor, priest, and teacher, together…” This address by the Bishop to the ordinand acts as a call to both action and collaboration, and continues by instructing the ordinand, “To love and serve the people among whom you work, caring alike for young and old, strong and weak, rich and poor.” The most striking functional difference between the responsibilities imposed by baptism and ordination in this context is the priestly administration of the sacraments. Nonetheless, many of the directives and vows included in the ordination of a priest are not dissimilar to the expectations put upon every baptized member of the Body of Christ: “In all that you do, you are to nourish Christ’s people from the riches of his grace, and strengthen them to glorify God in this life and in the life to come.”

    Vocations are also a practical matter. While the hand of one person may be called to the oar, the hand of another may be called to the rudder; proper navigation will always require both, and neither is above the other. Ministry, therefore, is a matter of the good stewardship of each person's gifts.