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baptism (Downey 2003:5-6). The expansion of ministry however raises two crucial

questions for the Church as we shall now explore: What is ministry? And who is the
minister?

a) What is ministry?

Rausch outlines that within the early Christian communities ministry was understood
in simple terms as a service on behalf of the community, that was both practical and

essentially secular in character (2003:52-53). A distinction later emerged between
the klerikos (minister) and the laikos (people) that over time became the basis of the

clerical and lay states (Schillebeeckx 1984:225). Traditional perspectives maintain
these distinctions suggesting that ministerial priesthood differs in essence to the

common priesthood of all believers. In this view ordination is understood to confer a
sacred power, providing ministry its full univocal meaning (John Paul II 1997:2).
Order and ministry remain rigid terms and a clergy-dominated view of ministry

persists (Osborne 2006:73). Schillebeeckx argues however that the minister is simply
one who has a ministry, a difference in function rather than in state, and he outlines a

divergence between those who propose an ‘ontological-sacerdotalist view of
ministry’, and those who understand it in purely ‘functionalist’ terms. Schillebeeckx
believes a fuller theology is required that understands ministry not in terms of ‘status

or state’ but rather a service of leadership within the community that is a gift of the
Spirit to all the baptised (1984:225-7). Gaillardetz makes a similar point suggesting

that a properly ordered ministry should incorporate all existing ministry activity (lay or
clerical), but also reposition the one called to serve within a new ecclesial

relationship. In this sense ministry is simply a service that involves a public
relationship within the community (2003:36-380).

Though lay ministry has undoubtedly expanded Morrisey suggests that to talk of ‘new
ministries’ is premature. This is because until the Church is prepared to actually

establish and define ‘truly “new” ministries with new persons mandated to exercise
them’ then what we are actually left with are ‘old ministries carried out by new
persons’ (1999:268). This view essentially perceives lay ministry as the non-