A couple of posts ago I mentioned the Taize Community. I've been thinking a lot about Taize lately because of the link between Introverts in the Church and the contemplative type of spirituality fostered in the community.
I've also been thinking about the communities' take on ministry in general. For the brothers all tasks are equally ministerial. Some brothers spend their days leading bible studies for pilgrims or running the welcome center for new arrivals. Some brothers focus on planning the 3 daily prayer services. Other brothers spend days making pottery or cooking or cleaning or simply praying. Others are out and about in the world visiting churches and mission projects. All of the brothers are doing ministry, regardless of the task.
See, at Taize life is ministry. All the brothers are ministers regardless of their different functions in the community. So-called "religious" jobs are no more ministry than the "secular" jobs. The distinction between "clergy" and "laity" is virtually nonexistent. That is because the brothers recognize that every believer is absolutely necessary for the mission of God and each is also uniquely gifted and called to serve in different ways. Since God's mission is broad enough to include spiritual, physical, and social healing, the work at Taize is broad enough to include all those aspects. The cook ministers as he provides food, the teacher ministers as he shares the word, the potter ministers as he crafts a beautiful work of art, and the song leaders minister as they raise their voices to their Creator.
I long for this kind of place in my world - a place where you don't necessarily have to be a preacher or a worship leader to truly be considered a minister.
I'm not just talking about a type of place where we recognize a mechanic telling someone about Jesus as a minister of sorts but a place where the work of a cook or an artist or a doctor or a technician is recognized as ministry in and of itself. Since God's mission is big enough to include physical, spiritual, social, and even cultural healing, it seems like whatever we deem ministry should be at least that big as well.
Jesus ministers to whole people and as his body it takes each and every one of us, preacher and janitor alike, to minister to his whole world, in all of its manifest needs.
I've also been thinking about the communities' take on ministry in general. For the brothers all tasks are equally ministerial. Some brothers spend their days leading bible studies for pilgrims or running the welcome center for new arrivals. Some brothers focus on planning the 3 daily prayer services. Other brothers spend days making pottery or cooking or cleaning or simply praying. Others are out and about in the world visiting churches and mission projects. All of the brothers are doing ministry, regardless of the task.
See, at Taize life is ministry. All the brothers are ministers regardless of their different functions in the community. So-called "religious" jobs are no more ministry than the "secular" jobs. The distinction between "clergy" and "laity" is virtually nonexistent. That is because the brothers recognize that every believer is absolutely necessary for the mission of God and each is also uniquely gifted and called to serve in different ways. Since God's mission is broad enough to include spiritual, physical, and social healing, the work at Taize is broad enough to include all those aspects. The cook ministers as he provides food, the teacher ministers as he shares the word, the potter ministers as he crafts a beautiful work of art, and the song leaders minister as they raise their voices to their Creator.
I long for this kind of place in my world - a place where you don't necessarily have to be a preacher or a worship leader to truly be considered a minister.
I'm not just talking about a type of place where we recognize a mechanic telling someone about Jesus as a minister of sorts but a place where the work of a cook or an artist or a doctor or a technician is recognized as ministry in and of itself. Since God's mission is big enough to include physical, spiritual, social, and even cultural healing, it seems like whatever we deem ministry should be at least that big as well.
Jesus ministers to whole people and as his body it takes each and every one of us, preacher and janitor alike, to minister to his whole world, in all of its manifest needs.
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