On Friday I spent the day at the headquarters of the Episcopal Diocese of Northern California with Kay Rohde who is their Congregational Development officer.
Kay told me all about the history of Total Ministry in this diocese, and I learned that the term is used widely out here in the western states to describe the way congregations adapt their ministries to a new form which is centered around Christ's mission rather than around an ordained clergy person.
This is the first time I have actually heard the term "Total Ministry" used. In England and Iowa they speak about "Local Ministry," "Collaborative Ministry," "Shared Ministry," "Mutual Ministry," Ministry of the Baptised," and even "Local Ministry Development." In Pittsburgh they speak of "Cooperative Ministry." Here they use the term developed originally by the bishop of the Diocese of Nevada, Stewart Zabriskie.
Total Ministry can be developed in congregations where there is an ordained priest serving the congregation or it can be implemented in congregations which have no ordained clergy leadership at all. In either case the emphasis is on developing an awareness of the fact that all of the members of the body are "ministers" by virtue of their baptism.
This is a radical understanding of ministry that makes many church members feel very uncomfortable. All of us are used to the model of church which places the ordained leader at the center of everything. In some cases the priest or pastor is actually expected to be "in charge" of the congregation they are supposed to "serve." The corollary to this understanding is the assumption that the "proper" role of the laity is to be passive "church attenders" who support the ministry of the ordained with their offerings and with their "time and talents," but they still think of the clergy as the congregation's "minister."
How would a congregation be different if each member of the body really believed that they were also ministers and acted accordingly? How would that affect their attendance at worship or their participation in serious biblical and theological reflection? How would it affect the way each member lived their everyday lives at home, at work, and in the community?
I'll have a lot more to say about Total Ministry later. If you want to know more right now, check out my website at www.totalministry.net.
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