Ministry

Bridging contemporary theology and daily parish practice, this guide equips ordained and lay ministers to serve the modern Church.

This highly praised handbook on ministry is an essential resource for clergy and laity alike--clear, readable, theologically sound, and pastorally wise. Traces the development of ministry from New Testament times through Vatican II to provide pastoral guidance for priests, nuns, teachers, and others who are called to the ministry.

The text outlines four distinct levels of service--rooted in common humanity, professional competence, Christian baptism, and specific ecclesiastical designation.

For candidate discernment, the study establishes seven practical standards of pastoral readiness, weighing personal wholeness and theological competence alongside active communication.

A concluding framework examines ministerial spirituality, offering ten specific criteria focused on social justice and the coming Kingdom of God.

• Theology of Ministry: Explores how the Second Vatican Council dismantled the medieval divide between the power of orders and jurisdiction, restoring the ancient model of authority rooted in service to the People of God.
• Historical Foundations: Investigates early church shifts from charismatic New Testament communities to civic councils of presbyters, including the Council of Chalcedon's fifth-century ban on ordaining clergy without a local congregation.
• Actionable Strategies: Details practical screening guidelines for parish councils and seminary faculties, establishing why psychological wholeness and St. Thomas Aquinas's virtue of prudence must precede pastoral assignment.
• Ecclesial Justice: Examines reciprocal institutional duties, demonstrating why authentic parish ministry demands just compensation, collective bargaining rights, and equitable roles for women.