*What is the Difference Between a Church and a Ministry?

Often people sense a call of God to ministry.

 

In response to the call they find themselves not knowing whether to start a church or a ministry.

 

The best way to approach this question is to consider the differences between the two:

 

A Church is a well structured organization defined in scripture regarding its protocol and governance. In other words, a church must have pastor(s), elder(s), deacon(s), etc.

 

However, a ministry is much more flexible. It is only governed by the principles of Christianity without the protocols of a church.  It may or may not have pastor(s), elder(s), deacon(s), etc.

 

It should be noted that one is not better than the other.  However, one may be a better fit to the minister who has decided to answer their call.

 

Application by Example:

Let’s say that a divorced woman believes that she is called to be a pastor. 

In some Christian circles she will have two strikes against her:

1) she is a woman, and

2) she is divorced. 

If she feels that she must interact with people who hold these prejudices, it may be her to advantage to start a “ministry”.  Then if someone attempts to invalidate her role as a pastor, she can remind them that the Bible does not define the office of a pastor over a ministry –as opposed to a church.

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