This is part of a series of posts on my understanding of faith, ministry and the church. I would enjoy feedback and your response to my answers to these questions.
Question – Describe your understanding of diakonia, the servant ministry of the church, and the servant ministry of the probationary member and commissioned minister.
Response – My response begins:
I understand diakonia to be the servant ministry of the church in which the people of God are sent out into the world. The church is called out of the world to be sent out to be the scattered people of God in mission.
“The New Testament witness to Jesus Christ makes clear that the primary form of his ministry in God’s name is that of service, diakonia, in the world. Very early in its history, the church came to understand that all of its members were commissioned in baptism to ministries of love, justice, and service within local congregations and the larger communities in which they lived; all who follow Jesus have a share in the ministry of Jesus, who came not to be served, but to serve” (The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church 2004, ¶305).
Discussion
- How would you respond to this question?
- Where do you agree with my response?
- Where do you disagree with my response?
Rev. Andrew Conard 