THEOLOGY OF VOCATION, WORK AND MINISTRY
Throughout history the church has been composed of two types of people—those who “do” ministry and those to whom it is “done.”
According to R. Paul Stevens in his provocative work, “The Other Six Days: Vocation, Work, and Ministry in Biblical Perspective” - the clergy-laity division has no basis in the New Testament and challenges all Christians to rediscover what it means to live daily as God’s people.
Exploring the theological, structural, and cultural reasons for treating laypeople as the objects of ministry, Stevens argues against the idea of clericalism. All Christians are called to live in faith, hope, and love, and to do God’s work in the church and world.
This biblical perspective has serious implications for the existing attitudes and practices of many churches as well as for our understanding of ministry.
The task of churches today is to equip people for ministry in their homes, workplaces, and neighborhoods.
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