TLDR: Saint Dunstan’s ministry is both vertical and horizontal. We derive our call to ministry from Mt 25:34-40 and Mt 28:19-20. Read on to see what I mean by vertical and horizontal ministry.

Grace trumps everything. The more I work with people in ministry, the more I have come to understand this as a theological rule of life. As Christians, we derive our call to ministry from both Matthew 25:34-40 and Matthew 28:19-20. In Matthew 25:34-40, we are called to minister to those in need. The passage promises that if we do, Christ himself will acknowledge our efforts at the last day: “I was hungry, and you gave me food, I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger, and you welcomed me, I was naked, and you gave me clothing, I was sick, and you took care of me, I was in prison, and you visited me.” Christ suffers when any of his children suffer, and when we satisfy the need of one who suffers, we serve Christ himself. We cannot separate Christ from those who belong to him. To love Christ is to love them.

In Matthew 28:19-20a, Christ calls us to be evangelists: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you.” It is the duty of every Christian to share the content of our faith with those who don’t yet know Christ. Of course, as Francis of Assisi once said, “Preach the Gospel in every place and when necessary use words.” The best and most effective way to preach the Gospel is through the quality of our lives. Words are often necessary, but they must be accompanied by genuine faith, a kind spirit, prudent speech, love of neighbor, fairness in business, constancy of character, etc.

Both of these commands share equal value, and one is not more important than the other. A church that sacrifices one of these commands at the expense of the other holds half of the truth and will soon become out of touch. In the first case, a church can neglect the needs of the world to such an extent that their faith will become ethereal and without roots in the real world. This

type of church risks becoming an exclusive club only concerned with its own members. In the second case, a church can neglect the teaching, preaching, and disciple-making biblical mandate to such a degree that they become just another Social Services agency, only concerned with solving people’s problems while forgetting the most critical issue: people’s longing and need for the Gospel of Jesus Christ and a saving relationship with God.

The Matthew 25:34-40 church often becomes a purely horizontal enterprise: secular, disconnected from spiritual stuff, out of touch with the Divine. The Matthew 28:19-20 church often becomes a strictly vertical enterprise: heady, disconnected from their communities, out of touch with the physical needs of the world. In both cases, each church is only partly obedient to Christ’s call to ministry. To be obedient to both of these mandates with integrity, we must recognize that grace is given to us and to the world before we engage in either social action or evangelism. We engage in our social ministry not out of fear, guilt, and anxiety over the certainty of our salvation, but as a joyful and grateful response to the free gift of Grace given to us through Christ. Likewise, we engage in our evangelism, worship, and disciple-making activities not because we stand in judgment of the world and see ourselves as morally superior to them, but because we strive to draw others to Christ in a relational way, by example, walking along the same path of faith they are on. It is not either/or but both/and.

In spite of the fact that technology has become ubiquitous in our lives, most of us feel profoundly lonely. I would even say that all this technology has contributed to our sense of isolation, our suspicion of our neighbors, our entrenched political ideas, our sense of insecurity, and our fears and anxieties. We need the saving power of a God who loves us greatly, who continues to draw us daily to himself, and who desires deeply to be in relationship with us and with the world. We are in desperate need of the grace Christ offers.

I am proud that as a church we have embraced both aspects of this call to ministry for many years. Our youth participate in workdays, many of our adults are involved in various pastoral care ministries, some volunteer at Hope Center Houston and serve breakfast at Lord of the Streets, others are involved in diocesan ministries, and a few go to the Dominican Republic on medical missions. Additionally, our Street of Shoppes (S.O.S. 2.0) distributes tens of thousands of dollars of aid every year to outreach and in-reach programs.

Our evangelism and disciple-making activities continue to advance through several Bible studies, VBS, book clubs, nursing home study, Sunday school, and children’s chapel programs. The best form of evangelism, however, is the result of befriending others. I love a definition I heard a few years back, “Evangelism is beggars showing other beggars where to find bread.” Most people who come to Christ come as a result of a relationship with another Christian. This was true in Christ’s day, and it remains true today. In short, invite others to church!

May God place in your hearts a yearning for connection with others and involvement in the life of the church. Please call us if there is a ministry in which you wish to become involved.

Blessings,

Fr. Roman+