Ministry
The role of the laity is valued in the UCA, recognising that ministry is a function of the whole church and all members. However, certain specific roles or "specified ministries" are defined. Of these, the role of elder and pastor are open to lay members.
There are two orders of ordained ministry in the Uniting Church, these are:
- Minister of the Word
- Deacon
In situations where it is not possible or desired to have an ordained minister a lay pastor (which grew out of the Methodist local preacher tradition) or Lay Ministry Teams may minister, particularly in rural areas.
Read more about this topic: Uniting Church In Australia
Famous quotes containing the word ministry:
“the eave-drops fall
Heard only in the trances of the blast,
Or if the secret ministry of frost
Shall hang them up in silent icicles,
Quietly shining to the quiet Moon.”
—Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772–1834)