All are Called to Ministry at Baptism Discover Where God is Calling You When you pass through the waters I will be with you. Isaiah 43:2

Baptismal Ministry There is one Body and one Spirit; There is one hope in God’s call to us. The Book of Common Prayer, Liturgy of Baptism Can you identify your baptismal gifts for ministry? How do you offer them to the church and the world? When in your life have you been most alive? How could your passion intersect with the needs of others? What helps you become more alive? What hinders you? Living the Questions Together, Seeking the Answers Together

Baptismal Ministry We are The Priesthood of all Believers. We are more than individuals gathered around a minister. We are ministering communities. We are more than recipients of ordained ministry. We live in dynamic partnerships sharing gifts in community. We are more than ordained or lay. We are The Priesthood of all Believers. Now you are the body of Christ. 1 Corinthians 12:27

Baptismal Ministry God is working within all people…infinitely more than we can ask or imagine God has already given us the gifts to lead the church into the future, if we are prepared to discern our ministries and have the courage to live them out Church means Christians, the People of God Baptism, not ordination, shapes the church’s identity and mission Baptism is primarily about God acting and the community of faith responding; it shapes our primary identity as members of Christian churches From communities receiving ministry, to ministering communities

Baptismal Ministry The authority for ministry comes with baptism; though laity and clergy have different roles, we share in the ministry of the gospel and the priesthood of all believers Recovery of baptismal ministry affirms rather than diminishes the roles of the ordained in community through the sacraments and through the ministry of teaching The authority of baptism expansively grounds Christian witness in local, cultural, and sociopolitical contexts; the church is mission centered and world centered Baptismal principles encourage recognizing, supporting, and sharing authority in community

Baptismal Ministry Faithful living takes shape in communities where all members—and not just a few (ordained) leaders—struggle to understand and live out the faith Living into baptism urges Christians to make a difference in the world; the Baptismal congregation (or community) expresses an intense interest in humanity Many of the same lessons about authority gleaned in local communities should inform wider structures Availability of the sacraments should not be restricted by the location, size, or income of the congregation Recovery of baptismal ministry enables us to look toward a hopeful future From Born of Water, Born of Spirit, Sustaining Pastoral Excellence project at EDS

Content on pages 4, 5, and 6 are reprinted from Born of Water, Born of Spirit: Supporting the Ministry of the Baptized in Small Congregations by Sheryl A. Kujawa-Holbrook and Fredrica Harris Thompsett. Copyright © 2010 by The Alban Institute, Inc., Herndon, VA. All rights reserved.