Into the Third Millennium: Pastoral Clarity for a Church Catholic and Confessing

The loss of vocational clarity in the ministry and confusion regarding the identity and mission of the church pose serious interconnecting problems for the future of the Christian movement. The denominational crises in mainline Protestantism and the failure of serious theological reflection and absence of history, tradition, and ethical-cultural critique on the so-called “mega” churches in North America have become untenable alternatives for the faithful witness of the church in the North American context. Ministerial clarity and ecclesial identity are discussed as the basis for the future of a church that is both catholic and confessing.