Abstract
There are at least six quite different ministries within the Christian church. All of them are legitimate and needed. The basic problem is that
most lay people at least unconsciously expect their pastor to be an expert in all of them. Without the gift and ministry of administration the church organization would cease to be. Without the teaching ministry the basic message of the church would not be communicated. The prophetic ministry reminds us of the areas of life which have not been touched by our Christian outreach. Quite different from these is the ministry of liturgy which orchestrates a group into meaningful worship. And then there is the essence of the pastoral ministry. Finally there is the ministry of spiritual guidance in which the pastor tries to facilitate the individual in his spiritual quest. This requires additional training and expertise different from ordinary counseling and is a much needed and little provided ministry within the Christian Church today.