Whole Life Ministry
Ministry - seen often only as ministry within the Church,
- often as a vocation to a specific ministry, after careful selection and training, after ordination or admission to particular order, as priest or pastor, Lay Preacher or Reader, or member of a Religious Order,
- seldom only as a vocation to daily living being Christian in family life and relationships, in the world in which one lives, one's neighbourhood, place of work or learning, etc..
Being Christian - living the life of the gospel, the kingdom (or kin-dom) of God,
- a calling (vocation) to a life of service to others, doing things for and to others, and bringing about transformation, to one's neighbourhood, to society
- living a life, literally, of servanthood: the meaning of ministry - Baptismal Ministry - where relationship - right relations - are central and reflected in mission. (but, as Jesus said, "I no longer call you servants... instead, I have called you friends." John 15:15)
Total Ministry
- the daily lives of Christians don't start inside the church
- 10% of our time, no more, will be spent by most of us in the gathered community (church)
- 90% of our time is in the world, where ministry is done by the baptised but non-ordained: how much church attention is focused on this?
- if the Spirit of God dwells in us, then we are 24 hour 7 days a week Christians
- if the Spirit brings out God's revelation in us all the time, then the potential for transformative ministry is in us all the time.
