For most people their part in building God’s kingdom will be through their employment or voluntary work and through their relationships with family, friends, their neighbourhood and within our global village. Some people are called to full time ministry within the church and many others combine ministry in a voluntary capacity with employment elsewhere.

All churches rely on an army of volunteers to enable worship to take place and connections to be made with the local community. In his letters to the Early Church St. Paul describes the church as a body and reminds us that each part of the body plays an important role and each part should be valued equally.

All churches have Churchwardens and a Parochial Church Council made up of lay people usually including the treasurer, a secretary and other officers. Flower arrangers, cleaners and gardeners all help to create beautiful spaces for worship while musicians, readers, people that lead prayers and people who help give out the communion help during the service. Many churches also have teams of people working with children and young people – helping them to experience and express the love of God in understandable ways. (NB Anyone working with children and young people in the Church of England needs a full CRB disclosure).

Some of the more formal roles in the Church of England require training programmes after which you receive a licence for ministry. These include:

Church Army Evangelists – lay (not ordained) ministers who share the Christian faith through words and actions and help others do the same. See http://www.churcharmy.org.uk

Readers – people who are called to serve the Church by preaching and teaching within the context of pastoral care . Anyone wanting to be a reader must have the backing of their vicar and PCC, must have completed the 3D Course. (details of that here) and then they must be selected by the Diocese. After that they begin 18 months training which ends with a special licensing service in Birmingham Cathedral. More details about being a reader can be found at http://www.readersbirmingham.org.uk/

Lay Pastoral Ministers – are people in the Birmingham Diocese who are called to minister within a pastoral team. They are trained as a team to share with clergy in pastoral care and community outreach on behalf of their church. Anyone wanting to be a commissioned member of a pastoral team must have the backing of their vicar and PCC and have completed the 3D Course (click here for a full list of courses). On successful completion of the training, the team is commissioned on behalf of the Bishop. Their ministry may include for example, bereavement visiting, building links with newcomers, keeping in touch with older housebound people and baptism preparation and follow-up.

Accredited Lay Ministers – are people called to help equip and encourage the church to be the body of Christ on earth, continuing the work Jesus did during his lifetime . These people, who do not feel called to ordination, are trained in the same way as those preparing for an ordained ministry. They may work as administrators, educators, missionaries, or in other specialist areas.  

Ordained Ministry – Someone who is ‘ordained’ in the understanding of the Church of England is someone who’s mininstry represents the worldwide church. That is why priests often wear dog collars and robes when they take services. The clothing is symbolic of a role that crosses the boundaries of time and geography. Not all ordained ministers work full time for the church – some combine their ministry with employment or family commitments. Nor do all ordained ministers work in parishes – many work in hospitals, schools, prisons, universities, city centres and workplaces as chaplains.

Most ordained ministers are priests whose work is to strengthen the Church and share the love of God in the world through the celebration of the sacraments (eg Holy Communion or baptism), teaching, preaching and pastoral care. They are usually leaders of a congregation and help the church connect with those around them through mission and evangelism. As pastors they help equip other Christians to discover their ministry and use their gifts and talents effectively. They also support people at times of crisis particularly through funerals and hospital visiting. Many have responsibility for church buildings and building developments, community projects and mission initiatives. No two posts are the same and the opportunities within the priesthood are endless. Read more on the Church of England Website by clicking here.

The ministry of a deacon is to be a servant, both within the Church and in the wider community.  A person who is accepted for ordination as a priest is first ordained as a deacon.  Then, after a period of normally a year, he or she is ordained to the priesthood.  This reminds us that humble service is always at the heart of priestly ministry.  However, some are called to be life-long distinctive deacons.  These are people who are called to ordained ministry but not as priests. Find out more about the ministry of a Deacon on the Church of England Website by clicking here.

If you feel that God is calling you to ordained minsistry please read more on the Church of England website. The website has information about training, more on vocation and a description of the skills, attributes and characteristics that are usually required. You may also want to have an exploratory conversation with your vicar. The Diocese of Birmingham runs regular days for people exploring their vocation including special days for younger people and people who are from minority ethnic backgrounds. You can see what is being planned for the next few months here or contact the Diocesan Director of Ordinands, the Revd Canon Faith Claringbull.

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The Religious Life
Some men and women are called to live what is known as the ‘Religious Life’, as a monk or a nun, a Franciscan friar or a sister. This way of life is diverse and ranges from the enclosed contemplative life through to the contemplative life in action. There are many religious, both lay and ordained, living in community throughout the world. Some invited people who are married or cannot physically live in community to be associates or members of a Third Order. More information about the different religious orders can be obtained from The Anglican Religious Communities Year Book (published by Canterbury Press) or by visiting the Anglican Communities web site: http://www.orders.anglican.org /arcyb/

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Conclusion
Whatever our ministry it is important to remember we are all in full time service for God and all our gifts, talents and resources of time and money can be used to help bring healing, hope and love to our broken and hurting world.

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