Christian Ministry

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General Information

Ministry means "service," which is an ideal for all Christians; the image of Christ as servant (Phil. 2:5-7; Mark 10:45) has been extended to the Christian church as a whole. From the beginning, however, certain individuals have been designated to perform spiritual functions within the church. Those ordained to these special ministries, which are usually full-time occupations, are now called ministers or Priests. Even in its early development, the church was a structured society consisting of the body of the faithful served by a group of individuals charged with particular functions and responsibilities.

The Gospels agree that the first ministers received their commission directly from Jesus Christ, but their ministry was set within the context of the church. The first ministers were called the Twelve, and later, the term Apostle was applied to them and to some other leaders of the community: Matthias, who succeeded Judas, Paul, Barnabas, and others. One important qualification of the original apostles was to have been eyewitnesses of Jesus Christ. The apostles went out from Jerusalem to preach, baptize, and establish churches. Other wandering ministers included the 70 sent out by Jesus (Luke 10:1), evangelists such as Philip (Acts 8:5), and charismatic prophets (Acts 11:27).

As the church spread and became more institutionalized, local ministries emerged, presided over by prominent converts appointed by the apostles. The original offices were those of Bishops (overseers) and Presbyters (elders), although to begin with these were not clearly distinguished. Ministers such as Stephen and his companions were also appointed to deal with administrative matters and leave the apostles free for preaching (Acts 6:1-6), although Stephen also preached. They have been taken as prototypes of Deacons, although not actually called by this name.

During the 2d century the peripatetic ministries of apostles, evangelists, and prophets gradually died out and were replaced by a settled ministry situated in various towns and cities. Early in the century, Ignatius of Antioch testified to the increasing power and influence of the bishops, who came to be regarded as the successors to the apostles. Especially in cities where the churches had been founded by apostles, chronological lists of bishops were drawn up, and their unbroken line of succession from an apostolic founder was claimed to be a guarantee of the authenticity of their teaching, as against heretical teachers lacking such pedigree (see Apostolic Succession).

Under the bishops, presbyters (who were now called priests) performed most of the duties of Christian ministry in the local churches--preaching, administering the sacraments, and providing pastoral care. The deacons formed an order somewhat apart, with some clerical and some lay characteristics, thus providing a bridge between clergy and laity. The diaconate eventually devolved into a stepping-stone to the presbyterate, until it began to be restored to its original function in recent times.

Even in New Testament times some women exercised a ministry similar to that of deacons, although not until the 4th century did they become known as deaconesses. To what extent the deaconess's office was recognized as an order of ministry comparable to the men's orders is disputable, and practice probably varied from place to place. The ancient office of deaconess died out, but it has been revived in modern times.

The threefold ministry of bishops, priests, and deacons has been maintained in the Catholic tradition of the church, but at the Reformation most Protestant churches abolished the order of bishops and called their presbyters ministers. These ministers might be assisted by elders or deacons.

Entry to the full-time ministry now entails a course of theological and practical training leading to ordination, the process by which the candidate is received into the ministerial order. In the Catholic tradition, ordination is by a bishop, signifying the unity and continuity of the church. In nonepiscopal Protestant churches, ordination is usually by a collective of ministers acting together.

The Catholic tradition emphasizes the priestly and sacramental aspects of ministry, whereas the Protestant churches stress preaching and teaching. In recent times many Protestant churches have admitted women to the ministry. The Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches reject women's ordination; Anglicans, or Episcopalians, are divided on this issue.

John Macquarrie

Bibliography
Kirk, K. E., ed., The Apostolic Ministry (1946); Niebuhr, H. Richard, and Williams, Daniel D., eds., The Ministry in Historical Perspective, rev. ed. (1983); Osborn, Ronald E., In Christ's Place: Christian Ministry in Today's World (1977); Schillebeeckx, Edward, Church with a Human Face: New and Expanded Theology of Ministry (1985); Steele, D. A., Images of Leadership and Authority for the Church (1987); Williams, Daniel D., The Minister and the Care of Souls (1961).