Who are the Ministers of the Church?

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Trinity Episcopal Church
44 East Market St.
Bethlehem PA 18018-5989
610-867-4741

Who are the Ministers of the Church?
Fr. Nick Knisely - Written for Newsletter, June 2001

In the Catechism of the Church (found on page 845 of the Book of Common Prayer), one of the questions is: "Who are the ministers of the Church?" The answer is most interesting for the order in which the categories of ministers are given: "lay persons, bishops, priests, and deacons." The implication is that lay people are understood to be the primary ministers of the Episcopal Church.

For some reason, this always surprises groups that I speak to in the congregation, since they assume that the answer is going to be something along the lines of "Mother Laura and myself." But once we start to talk through what the Catechism is saying, people begin to recognize something basic about our understanding of ministry in the Episcopal Church-that every order in the church has its own authentic ministry. And further, that the ministry of the ordained is actually subsidiary to the ministry of lay people, since the clergy's real job is to prepare and support the laity in their work. The laity are the people in the Church who are expected to show the world who God is, and what God has done for us in the person of Jesus.

Not everyone understands this idea. On the rare occasion when I find someone tripped up by this different view of ministry, I've discovered a sure-fire way to explain what the Prayer Book means. I ask them,

"Do you know Harriet and Marius Bressoud?
Are they ministers?"

Inevitably a look of comprehension dawns upon the face of the person, because in the Bressouds we here at Trinity have been given one of the finest examples of ministry (lay or ordained) that I have ever witnessed.

Please don't think that I am simply referring to Harriet and Marius' work here at Trinity as Parish Coordinator (a full time job in itself). I do mean that, but I mean so much more as well.

In the two and a half years that I've known both Marius and Harriet, I've come to recognize how much they both quietly do to empower the work of the people of the parish--from greeting newcomers to cleaning and organizing how and when we use the building, there are few areas of our life that they aren't directly involved in.

But I am aware of two areas for which I've found a special passion on both their parts. Harriet is the Chair of our parish's Pastoral Care Committee. In that role, over the years, both she and Marius have looked after members of the congregation who have fallen ill, who are lonely, and who are dying. On a couple of occasions Harriet and Marius have become the dying parishioner's family, caring for them in their last days as a child would care for their own mother or father. Marius and Harriet have also been very active in welcoming new people to our parish, becoming for most people over the last couple of years the primary ambassadors for our common life together. They are as much responsible for the growth of this parish as anything else that is going on around here.

Last week Harriet and Marius met with me to tell me that they are planning on stepping down from their work as Parish Coordinator as of the end of May. They are selling their house on the west side and will be moving across town to an apartment at Kirkland Village. While they won't be in the office on a regular basis starting in June, both Harriet and Marius will continue to be actively involved in the work of this parish-staying on as Chair of Pastoral Care, being involved in the welcoming of new members to the parish, and working in the front church garden, to name a few activities.

We owe them thanks for all that they have done for us and for our parish, but, characteristically, they have asked that we not make a fuss over them, since in their minds they've done nothing more than try to live out their ministry among us. I'm not sure how to say "thank you" yet, but do know that the Vestry has had a number of discussions on that issue.

Frankly I expect both Harriet and Marius would feel that they have been most effectively "thanked" if we would resolve that we would "go and do likewise," following their example.

Perhaps living our lives following their example, and someday having others live their lives following our example, is the best way of saying "thank you" that we'll ever imagine.

I, for my part, am going to try to do just that.

-Nick+