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People in ministry come from many backgrounds. Some were brought up in religious families, while others have come to faith as adults. Some entered ministry in early adulthood while others entered ministry in their 40s, or even later. Every denomination has its own requirements for ministry, but in the company of ministers, women and men of all ages, races, ethnic groups, theological positions, and sexual orientations can be found. Contrary to many popular impressions, ministry today is one of the most challenging, intriguing, complex, ever-changing vocations in society. Ministers are adventurers, living always on the border — between servanthood and authority, between priesthood and prophecy, between poetry and prose, between the sacred and mundane. Few would suspect that, behind the stained glass, ministry — for all its frustrations and institutional constraints — is a thrilling whitewater ride down the river of human experience. | ||||||||||||
