The theology and practice of sharing ministry with those in need

Abstract

Shared ministry is direct service ministry where the people who need the services provided are included as volunteers in the program. This project report looks at the recent critiques of direct service ministry and argues that those critiques can be overcome by using shared ministry. Matthew 25:31-46 and Acts 6:1-7 are used to support the idea that direct service food ministries are essential Christian Missions and the theologies of Gustavo Gutiérrez and Letty Russell are used to lay the foundations for including people with any background as volunteer leaders in ministry. The theological support for shared ministry is followed with a descriptive study of four churches that engage in some form of shared food ministry. The project concludes that sharing the volunteer work of food programs is effective when the program starts with the expressed needs of people who are food insecure. Programs where people who are food insecure and food secure eat together and work together can create church together.