God is a minister.
I’m nearly done with the final book (to me) in Andrew Root’s “Ministry in a Secular Age” series, The Pastor in a Secular Age, which is actually the second book in the series.
As I’ve done in the past, I’ll give a simple summary, while I’m sure longer posts will follow.
The book, in short, is this:
God is a minster. Or said differently, God’s chosen interactions with humanity is through acts of ministry. In this secular age, when recognizing God’s movement and action in the world is hard, the best way to recognize God’s action is through acts of ministry (since ministry is core to who God is). More, for pastors, it is essential they (we) guide others into acts of ministry and then provide opportunities to share (tell stories) about those experiences in ministry.
Some of my favorite (there are many!) quotes along the way:
“Divine action is unveiled through ministry because this action is a true participation in the divine being. It is most often the events of ministry that deliver the direct event of God’s arriving in our secular age.”1
“Only participation in ministry can verify an event as the encounter with the living God… The only way for verification of divine action is to enter the form of divine action itself and participate in ministry.”2
“By attending to events in pastoral ministry, we give people eyes to see divine action in our secular age.”3
Root, The Pastor in a Secular Age, 228
Root, The Pastor in a Secular Age, 249.
Root, The Pastor in a Secular Age, 209.