Write a reflections on the note below. Only use the source/references from the note below please.One other disclaimer, I fervently and passionately believe that every believer is called to ministry.

by | Mar 18, 2023 | >Nursing

Write a reflections on the note below. Only use the source/references from the note below please.One other disclaimer, I fervently and passionately believe that every believer is called to ministry.

Week Five – Roles and Opportunities for Ministry
Understanding traditional and non-traditional contexts/opportunities of ministry

Kenneth L. Mills

There are several traditional roles of ministry easily understood and accepted in the wider scope of the church. But there are also non-parish or “marketplace ministries” that are valuable roles or opportunities for God-called ministry.

This particular session is one of great personal interest to me. I suspect the reason for my interest has come out of my experiences serving in the more traditional roles of ministry. To be upfront, my experience started with a pastoral role (lead pastor of a small congregation). I then moved to a staff ministry role where I served as a worship, youth, communications, and general “do-it-because-no-one-else-is-here-to-do-it” person. I graduated from that position to another staff ministry position where I served as youth and college pastor, having the privilege of additional staff persons working with me. Then I moved back to the lead pastoral role for the next 19 years, until elected as a district superintendent for the Church of the Nazarene. I have served in this position for the past 22 years. All that to say, I have served in the more traditional roles of ministry, yet was being challenged to see, accept, and embrace new ministry roles that seemingly fell outside of the traditional understandings that I had come to know personally.

Perhaps my first clue to the reality of shifting paradigms in ministry was in our interviewing persons for licensing and subsequent ordination, I became aware that individuals were being called to ministry or Christian service without a defined role in mind, or with a non-traditional role firmly in their vision. In the interview process, I had to admit that these persons did indeed have a “call” upon their lives to serve God, His kingdom, and yes, even His Church. Yet, they did not believe that they were being “called” to serve as a pastor, or as a staff person within a local parish. Instead, they expressed visions of working on the streets, in community centers, colleges, or hospitals, etc.

Needless to say, I was slow to catch the shift. Yet, I am grateful that God kept my mind open to the movement of His Spirit. The more I heard from and saw in individuals, the more I was convinced that God was up to something great in our world, enlarging our understanding of ministry, the church, and the harvest field. Then the challenge came in the form of questions, such as, “Is there room for me in the church?” “Will I be able to receive the blessing of the church in the ministry I feel God has given to me?”

And so for a number of years, I have worked to embrace and make room for those who feel specifically called to what we term non-traditional roles of ministry or Christian service. I am not sure we have arrived yet, but I have seen progress. I hope to share with you in the lecture some of the traditional roles as well as some of the non-traditional roles. My greatest fear is simply this: I do not want to box anyone in, or narrow the “call” that God has placed on their heart and life. Please see this attempt at sharing various roles and ministry contexts ONLY as my effort to explore what God is doing today in His great kingdom. May God direct you to the perfect plan for His “call” upon your life.

One other disclaimer, I fervently and passionately believe that every believer is called to ministry. You need to know my own prejudice. Every person is “called” to serve Christ and His kingdom but some have a special “calling,” yes, even to be set aside by the community of believers as we witnessed in the New Testament to a particular form or place of service.

The following is an adapted excerpt from the Handbook for Christian Ministry in the Church of the Nazarene. Here are some traditional roles or contexts of ministry, and even some of these areas have increased in recent years as some have been more specific about their gifts, strengths, and passions, as well as their “call” from God:

Administration:

We live in a society with a strong consumer mindset. Consequently, the operations of the local church and certain other church-affiliated entities are held to a high standard in the area of administration and organization. As a result, many larger, local churches and other church-affiliated entities are finding it necessary to employ an individual whose sole or main task is to be the administrator of the organization.
Administration may take various forms, ranging from Business Administrator (which is similar to a Chief Operating Officer for the organization) or Executive Pastor (who may have more responsibility for ministry staff coordination and less responsibility for the operations of the entity) of a local church, to an administrator of a Nazarene college or university. Regardless of the specific title, the church acknowledges certain individuals who may be called specifically to use their administrative gifting in service to the church. Therefore, the Church of the Nazarene has a course of study to assist in preparing and resourcing these individuals for service. Whether such an individual pursues the elder or deacon track is dependent on the specific role to be filled by such an individual.

Children and Youth Ministry:

Shaping tomorrow’s world by helping children and teens make the right choices, in an era full of dissolving families and relaxed moral attitudes. Ministry to children is recognized as increasingly important.
The children’s minister provides the full complement of pastoral leadership to children in their various contexts (e.g., family, school, and community). While the children’s minister serves directly with children and their families, he or she must also develop a support system of other spiritually strong adults and students who provide leadership in worship, discipleship, fellowship, mission, and evangelism.
Youth ministry is becoming an increasingly important part of the local church’s ministry to the congregation and community. The youth minister provides the full complement of pastoral leadership to adolescents in their various contexts (e.g., family, school, and community). While the youth minister serves directly with youth, he or she must also develop a support system of other spiritually strong adults and students who provide leadership in worship, discipleship, fellowship, mission, and evangelism. The youth minister will also work with parents to facilitate personal, social, and spiritual understanding between youth and parents during this critical time.

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