Christian ministry

Ministry, in Christianity, is the activity carried out by members of the church in fulfilment of the church's mission. It can signify this activity as a whole, or specific activities, or organizations within a church dedicated to specific activities. Some ministries are identified formally as such, and some are not; some ministry is directed towards members of the church, and some towards non-members.

Age-specific Ministry

As churches attempt to meet the needs of their congregations, they often separate their members into groups according to age categories. Age-specific groups meet for religious study including Sunday school programs, fellowship, and other activities. These age divisions may include:

• Nursery
• Pre-school
• Children, generally elementary age students
• Youth, generally middle and high school students
• College and career, designed for university-age students
• Adults, which is often broken up into single adults, couples ministry, men's and women's ministries, and senior adults.

Advantages and disadvantages

There are several advantages to the concept of age-specific ministries.

• Many parents / caregivers are glad to allow the church to be in charge of the spiritual enrichment of their children. Similarly, they are used to using programs for the development of their children such as weekday childcare, preschool, and grade school and enjoy the ability to continue a similar format in church.
• These ministries allow churches to provide 'age-appropriate' activities and content to maximize spiritual education and growth as well as peer group fellowship.
• Ministries often provide fellowship activities outside of the church service that encourage the involvement of non-church going friends and relatives.

Age-specific ministry does have certain disadvantages, mostly stemming from the separation of children from the primary church functions.

• In terms of religious education, the 'socialisation' of children into the faith community is one important approach that requires connecting the children and family with the wider congregation.
• These ministries may increase the possibility of child abuse within the church as it does increase the amount of time children spend without the supervision of their particular parent or caretaker or the presence of the congregation at large. It is worth noting, however, that many churches hire certified teachers to fill these positions and most perform background checks on anyone that may come into supervisory contact with children.
• Certain forms of these ministries reduce the role that "family life" plays in the development of children, because of the separation of differing age groups into differently facilitated programs. In some ministries, the children are also placed separate from the rest of the congregation, such as during Sunday school and youth programs. Many of these programs, however, take place at different times from the primary church service, and in many churches, only children of elementary school age and younger are separated from the main service to provide more relevant material to their age group.

An alternative to age-specific ministry gaining ground is the concept of inter-generational ministry, which seeks to include all age and peer groups in primary church functions.

Creative and performing arts

Nearly all churches feature some form of worship music, whether from a choir, orchestra, or worship band, whether accompanied or a cappella. Religious organizations also incorporate other forms of creative and performance arts into their services or programs. These may include:

• Worship ministry, with the most common forms being choir, orchestra, and contemporary praise and worship.
• Drama and theatre ministry, which often comes in the form of both small scenes and skits performed for the congregation, and larger works such as Passion plays and Christmas dramas.
• Creative movement, which generally incorporates pantomime and American Sign Language
• Puppetry, including traditional and black light forms

Service and outreach

Many churches sponsor ministries designed to reach out others on a local and global scale, usually grouped under the heading of missions. There are many organizations which perform missions on a fully-funded and organized level, such as North American Mission Board, operated by the Southern Baptist Convention.

See also

• Christianity
• Christian theology