Wider, Broader, Richer: Trinitarian Theology and Ministerial Order

Developing expressions of ministry are evident across the Anglican Communion. This paper seeks to address the “crisis in ministry,” as some call it, by offering a theology of relational ministry fitting with these culturally diverse developments. Drawing from the doctrine of the Trinity, the paper argues that ordered or relational ministry arises out of and is formed by the relational nature of the Triune God, known in Christ and the Spirit in the world as an outward movement of generosity. The understanding of order and ministry arises out of a communio ecclesiology that is viewed as a “method” or an “ecclesial disposition.” What this means for order and ministry requires ongoing vigilance and theological reflection. This paper is such an undertaking. It does so by drawing on historical precedent and present cultural inclination so as to develop an understanding of ordered ministry in its dynamic and diverse but relational sacramental identity.