All Who Minister: New Ways of Serving God's People

A.J. Pell is rector of Christ Church in Hope, B.C., editor of the
Canadian Evangelical Review, and an instructor of Liturgy, Anglican
Studies Programme at Regent College in Vancouver, British Columbia.

According to conventional wisdom, the Christian church is in the midst
of one of the greatest upheavals in its history. Press clippings
indicate that the Anglican Church of Canada is navigating its own crises
and changes. All Who Minister focuses on one aspect of the Anglican
upheaval—changes in the theology and practice of ministry.

To her credit, the editor has gathered a wide range of perspectives on
the issue. There are essays and reports from rural, urban, and
Indigenous communities. We read of struggles in rural Saskatchewan and
small-town Nova Scotia to rebuild parish life when the congregation
cannot afford full-time professional clergy. The development and renewal
of inner-city social service and social justice ministries in Vancouver,
Montreal, and Ottawa are described. Training for leadership in Native
communities in Manitoba, Northern Ontario, and British Columbia is
presented, with the practical difficulties and theological/cultural
issues honestly confronted. The birth, life, and death of cluster
ministry parishes in Winnipeg and the ongoing growth of an area ministry
in industrial Cape Breton demonstrate possibilities and problems when
congregations seek to work together. In all these essays, there is a
note of hope in the search for “new ways of serving God’s people.”