Ministry

Last week I wrote about call stories.  These were all part of a class I taught in the Western District about lay servant ministry, but all three stories were highlighted in my CLM training curriculum.  There are certainly other call stories in the Bible that one could examine.

As I was planning the session I was going to teach, I wondered next about ministry.  What is ministry?  According to Paragraph 126 of the Discipline, ministry “is an expression of the mind and mission of Christ by a community of Christians that demonstrates a common life of gratitude and devotion, witness, and service, celebration and discipleship.  All Christians are called through their baptism to this ministry of servanthood in the world to the glory of God and for human fulfillment.”

Let's make a list about ministry:

• An expression of the mind and mission of Christ.  So, ministry reflects who Christ is and what Christ came to do.
• By a community of Christians . Community is a good word.  By a community.  We don't do ministry in isolation.  
• It demonstrates a common life of gratitude and devotion, witness, and service, celebration and discipleship.  Without going through each one of those, I think we can agree that ministry is multifaceted.  
• All Christians are called through their baptism.  We all have a ministry to do. And that calling is associated with the sacrament of God's claim on our lives.  Also, ministry isn't something we work up to, or earn the privilege of doing.  Ministry is a part of who we are as Christians.
• Servanthood.  Ministry is wrapped up in servanthood.
• In the world to the glory of God.  We have an outside motivation and inspiration for ministry.  It is for God's glory, not our own, and not to glorify the church or the pastor.  It is for the glory of God.
• and for human fulfillment.  Does that one surprise you? I was so glad to see that phrase as  part of the definition.  Ministry is necessary for fulfillment of who we are.  Ministry is not drudgery done only because God said so.  Ministry brings fulfillment.