‘Ordered Ministries’ for a Missionary and Global Church: The Contribution of Richard R. Gaillardetz

Abstract Richard R. Gaillardetz’ theology of ecclesial re-positioning and ‘ordered ministries’ developed throughout his career, originating in a 1997 article on the lay-clergy distinction and culminating in a 2021 article on the synodal shape of church ministry and order. This development shows the potential of the concept to support Pope Francis’s agenda for the reform of the Roman Catholic Church grounded in a baptismal ecclesiology supporting a variety of ministries in a de-centered global church with diverse ministerial needs. The concept ‘ordered ministries’ corrects a theology of ordained priesthood concentrated in sacred powers divorced from the ordained priest’s position in the ecclesial community and also offers an alternative to the concept of lay ecclesial minister, offering more flexibility for a greater diversity of ministries.