Abstract
Ferment in the ministry today requires an understanding of ministry that focuses upon the effect on the lives of people of what a minister does rather than upon the role functions he performs. The practice of ministry may be defined, therefor, under four categories: (1) the minister as a guarantor of continuity, (2) the minister as a celebrator of change, (3) the minister as a negotiator of structure, and (4) the minister as a facilitator of meaning. Any concept of ministry must be linked to an empirical understanding of man as a developing person, and Erikson's schema serves the purpose well. Whatever model of ministry one employs, it must be flexible in dealing with the realities of change.
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