What is a minister? - Esther Shreeve

The Methodist Church has always had a number of different understandings of ministry and ordained ministry. How does the Reformation emphasis on the Priesthood of All Believers, or the contemporary "Ministry of the Whole People of God" relate to the calling of the ordained person? Based on papers given at a conference held in Cambridge in September 2001, this work is an exploration of what it means to be an ordained minister (or presbyter). A significant recent development has been the reopening of the Methodist Diaconal Order, with its own distinct emphases in ministry. Has our understanding of ministry become fragmented and confused? The essays in this collection by lay and ordained, minsters and deacons, discuss the current Methodist understanding, and include an Anglican contribution.;The expectations which the church and society have of ministers, and those which ministers have of themselves, also come under the microscope. Are we guilty of operating in a time warp, or can we develop models of ministry which are realistic, robust and rooted in sound theology? Can we be both authentically Methodist, but also open to the ecumenical initiatives of the 21st century? What is the place of sector ministers? Of circuits? Of the Communion service? This book should provide a helpful starting point for anyone seeking to understand what ordained ministry entails, whether as ministers themselves, those comtemplating Foundation Training or ordained ministry, or simply as Christians working alongside ministers.;The contributors are: Clifford Bellamy; Richard Clutterbuck; Leslie Griffiths; Ken Howcroft; Sue Jackson; Jane Leach; Philip Luscombe; Clive Marsh; Esther Shreeve; and Andrew Todd.