The Four Functions of Church
A DISCIPLE’S VIEW OF CHURCH MINISTREIS, ORGNIAZATIONS AND SERVICE GROUPS
How does a parish guide potential volunteers in discovering their ministry roles within the church? We offer a range of service roles where a potential volunteer can contribute. Most importantly, we provide guidance and encouragement to volunteers, helping them to deepen their spiritual commitment to serving as disciples of Christ.
The experience of a favorable, spiritual, and cooperative volunteer structure ignites people to serve. They are not just willing, but excited to help a parish with two conditions: that the Church evangelizes in faith and is visible in the internal community (the Church) and the external community (the city). This visibility is essential for potential volunteers because it validates the function of a Church. Furthermore, it provides a means of Christian involvement for volunteers to work for a more significant cause. Volunteering cultivates a service-oriented community when a parish offers worthwhile service and is committed to the Gospel.
Church Ministry & Organization Structure
Parishioners want to serve at their parish, but most do not know how to do so or where to begin. Demonstrating how to categorize specific ministries under the auspice of Church teachings is essential because it inaugurates the purpose of volunteering. In order to form the structure of ministry opportunities into functions of the Church, we need to highlight the original roles of ministry. Theologically, The Great Commission (Matthew 28:16-20) and Pentecost (Acts 2:42-47) articulate four primary functions of Church ministry, which provide choices for potential volunteers to serve. The four functions are demonstrated here in a eLearning module.
In Created and Called: Discovering our Gifts for Abundant Living, Jean Trumbauer has identified a way to approach potential volunteers that seems to align with the giftedness of the Church. (1 Corinthians 12:14, 17-19) We aim to simplify the Parish's ministries, organizations, and service groups. Trumbauer confirms that each person who inquires about volunteering comes with a gift. It is evident that categorizing many ministries/organizations of the Church into a few coherent options for potential volunteers simplifies an approach to "God's call to serve in the Church." (14) Furthermore, other people who work within the Parish will better understand the service structure of volunteerism. People such as:
Staff Members
Parishioners
New Comers
Current Volunteers
Potential Volunteers
Ordained and Religious Life
Very often, little or no documentation of ministry functions of the church is described in Catholic institutions with the exception of one. Want to know more? Join the conversation: eLearning Module
