Ministers of the Church

We are all ministers in God’s holy Church, and we are each called to represent Christ and His Church to the world around us.  We, the laity, are to bear witness to Him wherever we may be, and, according to the spiritual and natural gifts given each of us, we are to carry on Christ’s work of reconciliation and servanthood in the world.  Within the Body of Christ, we are each to take our place in the fellowship, worship, and governance of God’s holy Church.

Some are called and “ordained” by God to more specific ministries within the Body of Christ.  The New Testament list three: deacons; presbyters (also called elders or priests); and bishops. These are not higher ministries, but rather more specialized ways of serving God and His Church.

The ministry of a deacon

The diaconate is a servant ministry. Deacons have the particular role of serving those around them and pointing the church to its call to serve.  Deacons serve priests and bishops by assisting them in carrying out their duties.

The ministry of a priest

The priesthood is a leadership ministry.   Priests have particular responsibility for the pastoral care and leadership of God’s people, for the administration of the local congregation on behalf of the bishop, and for the teaching and spiritual growth of the congregation. They are to preach, administer the sacraments, declare God’s forgiveness to those who repent, confess and amend their lives, and pronounce God’s blessing upon the people.

The ministry of a bishop.

Bishops have the apostolic ministry of propagating and overseeing the Church. They function as chief priest and pastor of a diocese and are the symbol of the local parish’s connectivity with the broader Church.  From biblical, bishops were appointed by the Apostles to carry on their apostolic ministry of guarding the faith, unity, and discipline of the whole Church.  They proclaim the Word of God, act in Christ’s name for the reconciliation of the world, and build up the Church.  In their apostolic role, bishops ordain priest and deacons to assist Him in their apostolic calling within local congregations.