Ministry

This session is the first of five introductory sessions for a Small Group. Members are encouraged to think about ministry, particularly as it relates to our Small Group Ministry program. 

In addition, this session includes 5 minutes for the facilitator to welcome everyone to the group, and 10 minutes to go over group Agreements and discuss whether or not anyone needs additional rules to feel safe. Members will have a chance to suggest modifications to the Agreements in the fifth session.

Member Preparation

In preparation for this session, take some time to read over the following quotes, and to think about what ministry means to you.

"[Ministry]…is a quality of presence we bring that is grounded in our liberal faith. Singing and preaching, teaching and leading, caring and justice work are all ministries. It is what we do when we gather in community." – Rev. Mark Morrison-Reed from Canadian Unitarian, Fall 2002

"Fellowship is being present with one another in the wordless, the unspoken, the ineffable.  Fellowship is where we speak and live the highest we know, living with the knowledge that it is never as deep, as wide, or as high as we wish.  Fellowship happens when there is a quality of relationship between and among human beings that beckons forth hidden possibilities." - Adapted from the Starr King Ministry Catalog

"You see, one of the secrets of life is that we are all ministers. We all have the ability to bless one another. It’s true. But it is not easy." – Webster Kitchell Howell

"There is a vitality, a life force that is translated through you in action. And because there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique, and if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and be lost.- Martha Graham

"…time and space become more generous when we explore ultimate truths in the presence of others….We make the discovery that when we are honest and vivid and particular in describing what is most personal and important in life, we can summon universal and redemptive places at the very edge of words." - Krista Tippett, Speaking of Faith: Why Religion Matters—And How to Talk About It

"Ministry is the whole community teaching the whole community what it means to love." – John C. Morgan, Awakening the Soul: A Book of Daily Devotions

These questions provide ways you may want to approach this topic. Remember to focus on just one or two of the questions, if you choose to use them, as this will allow you to explore the topic in more depth.

  • What would a truly shared Ministry look like to you?
  • How does fellowship—being part of a community that is “present with one another”—affect your ability to Minister and to be ministered to?
  • How is ministry currently part of your life? If there was time in your life when ministry played a larger or smaller role, how did this affect you?
  • What feelings, beliefs, or hopes do you hold as you start this process of forming a new Small Group? What would you like to give or get from this shared Ministry?

Special Materials

  • Name tags and marker(s).
  • Group Agreements written out on a large piece of paper or poster board.
  • Marker to add any additional ground rules or agreements to the list.

Further Exploration