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Church (chũrch) n.
[from Gr. ecclesia, those who are called out]
No one is born a Christian.
You may have been born into a Christian family and been baptized as
an infant. But you cannot grow to full maturity in Christ unless
you answer God’s call.
What does it mean to be
called? A calling may grow out of a soul-stirring personal
experience. Or it may arise from a simple desire for deeper meaning
in one’s life. Whatever the starting point, God’s call is
eventually recognized as a calling to serve others.
A Light to the World
 The
early church was fired by a mission to proclaim the coming of God’s
kingdom and salvation in Jesus Christ. “You are a light to the
world,” Jesus told his followers. Their mission began on their own
doorstep, since the world was still pagan. It took courage to bear
witness to the gospel, because Christians were a reviled and
persecuted minority.
The world has
changed a great deal since the first century. But in some ways it
has changed very little. Power, wealth and violence still hold
sway. Christians are still called to be a light to the world. And
the mission of the church still begins on one’s own doorstep, just
as it did in pagan times.
Ministry is not
merely something the clergy are paid to do. It involves everybody –
and not just in church on Sundays. Being a Christian is a full-time
job in a world that remains in darkness.
Total Common Ministry
The Church of the
Holy Trinity has embarked on an exciting new venture called Total
Common Ministry. It is based on an understanding of Christian
ministry that is closer to the early church model than to the church
many of us grew up in.
By “total,” we mean
this ministry encompasses everything we do in church and in the
world. “Common” means that everything we do grows out of a common
vision of ministry, and everyone is given an opportunity to respond
to God’s call to minister, regardless of age, gender, ability or
background.
You don’t need to be
well educated, highly talented or have an outgoing personality. We
believe everyone is uniquely created for a larger purpose in life,
and that our highest fulfillment comes in serving others in this
way.
The Episcopal Church
has long recognized the “ministry of all baptized." The 2003
General Convention revised the church canon on ministry to emphasize
common ministry, eliminating unnecessary distinctions between lay
and ordained ministers.
What is the role of ordained ministers under
this new model? Priests have a unique sacramental and liturgical
function in the Episcopal Church, and this would continue. The
rector of a parish would have many of the same responsibilities as
now. However, his or her primary responsibility would be to support
the work of non-ordained ministers in the world.
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