Fréttatilkynning/Press Release

"Mission: the whole Church bringing the whole Christ to the whole world"

Ministry: God-given work for the cause of God acknowledged by the Church - Paul Avis

In a wide-ranging and challenging paper, Prebendary Dr Paul Avis, presenting the third paper to delegates presently attending the second Theological conference of the Communion of Porvoo Churches at the Skàlholt conference centre, Iceland, explores the relation between mission and ministry. He suggests that "ministry is shot through with a missionary imperative" while also suggesting that "mission is the whole Church brining the whole Christ to the whole world."

Dr Avis begins his paper by saying:

If we say that mission is the cutting edge, so to speak, of the life of the Church as a totality, it follows that there is a Godward as well as a 'humanward' orientation to mission. Prayer, praise, the celebration of the Eucharist and the confession of the faith all have a primary orientation to God. Truly, the purpose of the Church is 'to glorify God and enjoy him for ever'.

Nothing less than this holistic definition of mission is called for because our whole life as Christians - our entire Christian existence in this world - is inherently geared to mission...Missio dei encompasses and enfolds the world and the Church... Mission is much bigger than the Church...Christian mission is fundamentally a response to the initiative of grace that has already brought the Church into being.

It is a common misconception that mission is a separate, discrete function of the Church, an activity in which it engages over and above its basic, bread and butter tasks. It is often assumed that this triple ministry of word, sacraments and pastoral care, takes place independently of the Church's mission, as though mission were something added to the continuous ordinary life of the body of Christ, rather than the outworking, the leading edge of its very existence.

Dr Avis, developing the theme of Ministry, says:

'Ministry' is now a seriously overused word ... There is confusion and uncertainty about what 'ministry' means as a concept and to whom it applies, the 'ministers'...In some contexts of usage ministry seems to have become equivalent to everything a Christian does in his or her life of discipleship... Christ's presence and grace should indeed sanctify all our actions...but that does not mean that every action is properly termed 'ministry'." "Ministry is not whatever an individual feels moved to do for the Lord or to offer to the Church, whether it is needed or not...Ministry is something public and representative, rather than private and individual...It is discipleship, not ministry, that is the inclusive category.

All baptised believers are potential ministers. All are called to minister in one way or another. But that call needs to be issued and received and ministry is shot through with a missionary imperative.

Dr Avis concludes his paper by summing up, saying:

The calling to ministry may be initiated by the Church and responded to by the individual. Or it may be initiated in the individual and confirmed by the Church. The spirit works in the individual as a part of the Body and through the Body in relation to the individual. But either way, the Holy Spirit is the author of ministry. And this points to the most profound truth about Christian ministry, whether ordained or lay, is that it is the ministry of Jesus Christ.

END Saturday, 24 September 2004