Ministry

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Ministry

Ministry in most U.S. religious traditions refers primarily to religious leadership and acts of service offered for or on behalf of faith communities. The word "ministry" has been used specifically by Christian (particularly Protestant) religious groups, but its meaning and use also include the work of Jewish and other faith traditions. Ministry encompasses at least three levels of meaning: (1) professional religious leadership; (2) acts offered by individual members or groups in service to others; and (3) the relationship of faith communities to the larger world, expressed in acts of service. Ministry describes a broad range of activities of care for those in need, including persons who belong to congregations and persons and groups outside organized religious groups. Such caring has addressed spiritual, emotional, physical, financial, political, and ecological concerns.

During the twentieth century the word "ministry" has most commonly been used to refer to the career or vocation of church or synagogue leaders. Religious traditions have historically identified and prepared individuals for particular leadership roles in congregations and other faith communities. These leaders are variously designated as ministers, pastors, preachers, priests, sisters (nuns), brothers, or rabbis in certain religious groups. The word "clergy" is sometimes used to encompass all religious professionals. Depending on the particular religious community, ministers are ordained, consecrated, or licensed before they are permitted to practice the full range of ministerial duties. In most traditions persons are selected for ministry on the basis of personal qualities of emotional and spiritual maturity, educational ability, and leadership skill. In many religious traditions, persons report experiences of a "call to ministry," either through self-examination of their personal qualities and the needs of ministry or through a deeply personal religious experience.

Many organized religious groups require substantial educational preparation for ministry. U.S. Protestant denominations (e.g., United Methodist, Presbyterian, Episcopal) require a college degree plus three or more years of academic seminary or theological school training before an individual may assume leadership in a congregation or other ministerial setting. Some traditions have few or no academic requirements for professional ministry, relying instead on the candidate's personal and spiritual qualities and experienced sense of call. In virtually all religious traditions, however, persons expecting to enter ministry explore their vocational choices with representatives of the religious community they will represent and serve. Roman Catholic priests, brothers, and sisters are generally required to remain celibate (unmarried), but most other Christian, Jewish, and other religious groups permit or encourage marriage and family life for their ministers.

Functions of Ministry

The functions of ministry vary considerably across religious traditions. However, those functions can be categorized into eight primary areas. Some religious groups will expect all of these functions from ministers, while others will emphasize only one or two. Preaching involves study of the Bible or other sacred texts and the delivery of sermons, usually as part of a worship service. The sermon or homily is usually expected to relate the sacred texts to issues in contemporary living. The worship function includes the preparation and leadership of religious services, including performing the rites and sacraments of the church. Weddings and marriage preparation, funerals, and rituals such as Baptism and Communion are important dimensions of ministry. Through teaching the minister explains the religious beliefs of a particular tradition and helps congregational members apply those teachings to their own experiences.

As a congregational leader the minister oversees the administrative responsibilities for a church or a synagogue. In addition to managing the details of congregational life, the minister often assists congregations in planning for the future. When providing pastoral care, the minister offers the church or synagogue's resources to person at crisis points in life, such as death or other losses, marriage and birth of children, and personal or family difficulty. Care activities include home or hospital visitation, informal conversation, and counseling. Evangelism includes those activities in which persons outside the community are contacted, and often invited into membership or participation in the community of faith. Prophetic witness requires the minister to engage in critical analysis of the society and other institutions. He or she works for justice or advocates on behalf of persons who have been oppressed by those institutions. Mission involves religious communities in specific service to disadvantaged persons outside the congregation, such as the poor, children, victims of violence, and prison inmates. The balance among these functions will depend on the particular emphases of a given religious tradition.

Ministers are often employed by congregations where they serve. In smaller or underprivileged congregations, clergy may serve more than one congregation at the same time or hold an additional full- or part-time job to support themselves. Ministry may occur outside of traditional congregational settings as well. Ministers often serve in community agencies such as counseling centers or advocacy organizations. Others work in larger institutions, such as hospitals, university campuses, or correctional facilities, where they are often designated as chaplains.

In many religious traditions, ministry is not the sole responsibility of professional clergy, but rather it is the work of the whole religious community, including the activities of nonclergy, or laity (from the Greek word for people, laos). Clergy perform critical functions for congregations, but ministry is the responsibility of all members of a congregation according to their various gifts and abilities. Professional clergy are often expected to prepare and encourage members for service to God and the world rather than to practice ministry on behalf of the congregation. In this context, all congregational members are understood as the ministers who embody their religious commitments in the world. In these settings members report a stronger sense of ownership of, and responsibility for, the mission of the church or synagogue. Second, the sharp distinctions between clergy and laity have diminished, and a stronger sense of shared service to God and the world has developed.

Twentieth-Century Developments in Ministry

In addition to emphasizing the role of laity in ministry, several other important developments have affected the shape and practice of ministry in the twentieth century. The increasing role of women in professional ministry has resulted in increased opportunities for women and has provided a larger pool of candidates for ministry. Women in ministry have influenced the ways in which ministry is practiced, resulting in more collegial professional relationships and a reduction in hierarchical structures. In some traditions that do not permit full endorsement of women for ministry, such as the Roman Catholic Church and some conservative Protestant denominations, alternative avenues for service have been provided in lieu of ordination, including worship leadership and spiritual care.

For approximately four centuries ministry has been viewed as a profession along with medicine, the law, and teaching. More recently this understanding of ministry has competed with demands for personal spiritual leadership in congregations and in the culture. Many religious traditions continue to expect ministers to master a significant body of knowledge, submit to review by church governing bodies, and follow established professional ethical principles. Other traditions have focused more on the unique spiritual, personal and leadership qualities of ministers and have rejected the notion of professional ministry.

An expanding awareness of cultural and religious differences in the United States and around the world has led most religious leaders to dialogue with persons of other faith traditions to deepen understanding and find ways to work together in ministry. Some congregations have intentionally hired ministers of different cultural backgrounds to sharpen their awareness of the theological issues that a diverse world demands. Some denominations have reached formal agreements so that ministers and congregations can work together more effectively and in some cases even serve each other's congregations.

Technological advances, particularly television and computers, have profoundly affected ministry. In addition to offering new ways to communicate, these media have exposed the public to a variety of images of ministry and have changed congregants' expectations of worship.

The historic exclusion of persons of different sexual orientations from candidacy for ordination has prompted a reexamination of criteria for ministry in some denominations.

Increasing concerns about the environment and its effect on the welfare of persons around the world has prompted many clergy to study, teach, and lead congregations in attempts to understand and respond to the intricate relationship of humanity and the environment as central to ministry.

The word "ministry" describes both the vocation of professional spiritual leadership and the central work of congregations and faith groups, involving all members. The particular tasks of ministry vary from one religious group to another, but the central meaning of ministry is expressed in the notion of service to neighbor and to God.