The statement relies on two biblical images- the ecclesial co-worker and a narrative of day laborers. Examining this combined metaphor discloses tensions that mirror the statement’s theological and pastoral divergences on the scope and authority of lay ministry leadership.
In 2023, there have been significant developments within the national Catholic Church related to professional standards and competencies in support of lay ministry.
My essay from 2018 examines some ways in which then-Blessed (now Saint) Archbishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador confronted ‘post-truth’ political and cultural forces in his ministry and examines insights that can be garnered for confronting similar social discourse today.
The abstract of Dr. DelMonico’s doctoral dissertation from 2015 at The Catholic University of America.
In this essay, which won the peer-reviewed 2008 Ecumenism Essay Award from the Washington Theological Consortium, I examine the well-known Baptism, Eucharist, and Ministry document of the World Council of Churches with respect to the related issues of apostolicity and episkopé (or “oversight”). I then indicate significant advances and shifts in the dialogue by evaluating more contemporary sources, namely, the insights of theologians from different Churches of the Reformation in the U.S., working on the “Churches Uniting in Christ’s “Consultation on Episkopé,” and an independent, though related, presentation of a Catholic theologian John Burkhard.
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