Activity carried out by Christians to express or spread their faith
This article is about activity carried out by Christians to express or spread their faith. For a person authorized to perform religious functions in Christianity, see Minister (Christianity).
Christian ministry is the vocational work of living and teaching about their faith, in the hopes of increasing the population of God's people done by the church, church officials, congregational members, and Jesus followers. The Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature defines Christian ministry as "to denote a devotion to the interests of God's cause, and, in a technical sense, the work of advancing the Redeemer's kingdom" [1]. All ministry may fall under the call of, the Great Commission, that Jesus presented to his disciples to continue the spread of the Gospel. It is performed by most Christians, although the early church recognised that "devotion to prayer and the ministry of the word" was a special part of the role of the apostles,[2] thus distinguishing general "ministry" from the "office of minister" to which specific individuals who feel a certain vocation.[3] It can signify this activity as a whole, or specific activities, or organizations within a church dedicated to specific activities. Some ministries are identified formally as such, and some are not; some ministry is directed towards members of the church, and some towards non-members.
As churches attempt to meet the needs of their congregations, they often separate their members into groups according to age categories. Age-specific groups meet for religious study including Sunday school programs, fellowship, and other activities. These age divisions may include:
Adults, which is often broken up into single adults, couples ministry, men's and women's ministries, and senior adults.
Advantages and disadvantages
There are several advantages to the concept of age-specific ministries.
Many parents / caregivers are glad to allow the church to be in charge of the spiritual enrichment of their children. Similarly, they are used to using programs for the development of their children such as weekday childcare, preschool, and grade school and enjoy the ability to continue a similar format in church.
These ministries allow churches to provide 'age-appropriate' activities and content to maximize spiritual education and growth as well as peer group fellowship.
Ministries often provide fellowship activities outside of the church service that encourage the involvement of non-church going friends and relatives.
Age-specific ministry does have certain disadvantages, mostly stemming from the separation of children from the primary church functions.
In terms of religious education, the 'socialization' of children into the faith community is one important approach that requires connecting the children and family with the wider congregation.
These ministries may increase the possibility of child abuse within the church as it does increase the amount of time children spend without the supervision of their particular parent or caretaker or the presence of the congregation at large. However, many churches hire certified teachers to fill these positions and most perform background checks on anyone that may come into supervisory contact with children.
Certain forms of these ministries reduce the role that "family life" plays in the development of children, because of the separation of differing age groups into differently facilitated programs. In some ministries, the children are also placed separate from the rest of the congregation, such as during Sunday school and youth programs. Many of these programs, however, take place at different times from the primary church service, and in many churches, only children of elementary school age and younger are separated from the main service to provide more relevant material to their age group.
Creative and performing arts
Nearly all churches feature some form of worship music, whether from a choir, orchestra, or worship band, whether accompanied or a cappella. Religious organizations also incorporate other forms of creative and performance arts into their services or programs.
Many churches sponsor ministries designed to reach out others on a local and global scale, usually grouped under the heading of missions. There are many organizations which perform missions on a fully funded and organized level, such as the North American Mission Board, operated by the Southern Baptist Convention and the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC).
However, some Christian churches and ministries have evolved to take on a larger role in the community service and global outreach programs. Community service ministries may include a "soup kitchen", homeless ministry, crisis center, food pantry, unplanned pregnancy center, senior visitation program, new parent support, Animal Chaplains, or a number of other specialized ministries. These specialized ministries can include formal or informal approaches to intentionally interacting with others, encouraging, counseling, and providing relational care to them.
If activities such as these are held at a church but are not organized primarily by its members and do not contain religious overtones, the activity would better be classified as church reordering, rather than ministry.
Sacramental ministry, Catholic Church
Theologians[who?] differentiate between religious ministry and Apostolates. Ministry, for Catholics, pertains to the administration of the Sacraments, and their appropriate ministers are as follows:
A final, and most proper, use of the term "ministries" pertains to those instituted by the bishop:
Acolyte (May administer the Eucharist)
Lector (May read the readings at Mass, except for the Gospel which is reserved for a priest or deacon)
Ordained ministers are those who have received Holy Orders: deacons, priests, and bishops. Note that a bishop can do anything a priest can do, and a priest can do anything a deacon can do.
↑ Strong, James (1891). Cyclopaedia of Biblical, theological, and ecclesiastical literature. Vol.6. New York: Harper & Bros. pp.300–301. ISBN978-0801061233.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
↑ Matthew, Thomson K. (2004). Spirit-Led Ministry in the 21st Century. Xulon Press. p.17. ISBN1-59467-365-9.
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