Ministry in the Church

In this survey of ministry in the church, Paul Bernier offers a comprehensive, engaging perspective on the development of Christian ministry. He shows how this development came about in response to specific social or cultural needs, and discourages placing blame for practices promulgated in good faith and for the common good.

Bernier takes a broad look at both lay and ordained ministry, writing that ministry is ""the service God requires of all the baptized."" He focuses quite sharply, nevertheless, on the role of the ordained minister, past, present, and future, and looks closely at what future developments in the church might bring, based on lessons of the past.

This book well illustrates the fluidity and form of Christian ministry, and its place both in and outside the institutional Church. It is an excellent resource for adult education, as well as for pastoral ministers seeking to broaden their understanding of their roles. Ministry in the Church is filled with information and inspiration; it opens exciting new vistas for Christian living today.


Fr. Paul Bernier, S.S.S., a member of the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament, taught theology and was Academic Dean of Maryhill School of Theology in the Philippines. He served eight years as Executive Secretary of the Philippines Bishop's Commission on the Clergy. Former editor of Emmanuel magazine, he is a member of the Board of Trustees of Catholic Theological Union in Chicago.