The Episcopal Church in the USA
Diocese of Oregon
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The Episcopal Church in the USA |
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Diocese of Oregon |
What is Total Ministry? |
Resolution of Policy presented to the 112th Diocesan
Convention |
Report to 2001 Convention | Suggested
Book List
TM Task Force Members |
Links
to Total Ministry web sites
Total Ministry (TM) is a "Way of Life", seeing ourselves and the church as Christ's agents in the world, seeing that it is Christ's ministry, not our own. TM affirms that every one of us is a minister empowered with the gift(s) the Holy Spirit has given to us. Every ministry is to be valued equally and none is esteemed above the other. It is the WAY of the church of the Acts, energizing the ministry of all baptised people to continue Christ's ministry in the world. Total Ministry will be lived out differently in each community, taking into account each community's history, culture and gifts. There is no set model, pattern or structure, no cookie cutter program that fits all; the Spirit, if we listen, leads us where it will, and we don't know where, beforehand. For more information, please contact the Total Ministry Task Force.
Resolved that, the Bishop re-appoint the Task Force on Total Ministry for another five (5) years to continue to study and develop models of ministry within this diocese which identify, encourage, develop, and support the ministries of all baptized persons. Ministry takes place in all arenas of life, among people of all ages, outside the church and within it. Ministry needs development in large and small parishes, in those with full-time clergy as well as in congregations whose sacramental needs are provided for in other ways.
The Task Force will continue to identify resources for education and ministry formation that can be adapted to our unique needs in this diocese. The Task Force will continue to network with other departments and commissions to remove barriers to ministry, and will continue to encourage good stewardship of all resources for ministry.
Explanation:
The Task Force was formed in 1995 as the result of Resolution #1 of the 107th Convention of the Diocese of Oregon. That Resolution was a response to Resolution #2 of the 105th Convention (1993), which reminded us: "The Church is called to be a ministering community, not a community gathered around a minister. Every member of the Church has been given gifts by God in birth and baptism. Each is called to offer these gifts in service for both the life and mission of the Church."
Resolution #2 of the 105th Convention charged the congregations of this diocese to implement these principles by the year 2000, using the following goals:
The Task Force will continue to:
We are seeing a resurgence of the recognition of the "authority in baptism" throughout the Episcopal Church. The Diocesan COMD is looking at how Baptism, not ordination, shapes the church's identity and mission; the Province VIII meeting I attended as a COMD member in April was all about baptism and how COMD's need to listen to and help all people in the church discern their gifts for ministry. Some are called to be priests, deacons and bishops, but the majority of us are called to be ministers for Christ in our daily lives without any titles attached. We all have a need for Christian formation, and to do that we need one another.
As a task force we have spent five and a half years exploring our ministry as baptized Christians through reading books, visiting other dioceses, listening to folks and discerning where and how we need to proceed. We continue that search for ways to help all people in the diocese discern where they are and what their gifts are. We are looking at ways to provide more educational opportunities, expand the work of the missioner on the South Coast to more of the diocese and coordinate with other diocesan ministries.
Currently we have three major areas of focus: vision, education and financial. We are in the process of developing a document outlining our vision for Total Ministry in the Diocese of Oregon. This will help all of us focus on how total ministry can be in each of our congregations.
We have come to understand that education is absolutely critical to
Total Ministry. We see a strong need for educational programs that
move us in our journeys of Christian formation. We are devoting a significant
amount of our time to understanding the needs and
providing ways to satisfy the needs.
We also are working closely with the COMD in developing a process for congregations interested in bringing forth people through Canon 9. Those of us on the task force are involved in other ministries in our parishes and in the diocese so that the Total Ministry Task Force is not an isolated group doing their own thing, but rather an interdependent part of the whole diocese. We want to be available for any congregation interested in pursuing total ministry. We also realize each congregation is unique, and we need to listen to folks to determine where they are in their journey.
Bishop Ladehoff has prioritized total ministry as one of his three areas of focus throughout the rest of his Episcopate. The Diocesan Mission Statement calls us to "implement and strengthen the ministry of all the baptized in the Diocese of Oregon." We are trying to live out our diocesan mission statement through our work in the diocese.
Total Ministry is inclusive of ordained and lay ministry, what all we do inside the church and equally important in what we all do everyday in our relationships with others and with God. It is at the core of our being.
We offer our services to all interested congregations to have us come and make a presentation, do a one-day workshop or help with an ongoing education program. We welcome people to become involved in total ministry. We welcome all interested people to contact us.