Minister. As a noun, minister means an ordained minister of the gospel; a member of the clergy, as distinct from the laity. Literally, the term means “a servant” and is derived from the vocabulary of the apostle Paul who described himself as “a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles with the priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel of God” (Rom 15:16). The term is identified with the primitive church’s offices of deacon (often an office of lay leadership), elder and bishop. Ordained primarily as