a) a building

    b) an organization

    c) people

    d) all of the above

    What is the Church? For many years my favorite answer to that question has been the frequently heard response "the church is what’s left when the building burns down." And surely that is true. No matter how beautiful our building is or is not, the church is more than a building. And no matter how organized our church is or is not, the church is more than an organization. In 1Cor 12:12-27, Paul reminds us that we are a body, not just an organization, but a living, breathing, organism, in which the health and well-being of every part is important to the health and well-being of the whole. So maybe the question is not, "What is the church?" but "Who is the church?" And without a doubt, the answer is, "All of us, lay and ordained."

    MOAB, Ministry of All the Baptized, and Total Ministry may be relatively new terms, but a quick look at the Catechism reminds us that they reflect a very old idea. All of us, lay and ordained, are ministers of the church. There is nothing new about that.

    Q. What is the Church?
    A. The Church is the community of the New Covenant.

    Q. Through whom does the Church carry out its mission?
    A. The Church carries out its mission through the ministry of all its members.

    Q. Who are the ministers of the Church?
    A. The ministers of the Church are lay persons, bishops, priests, and deacons.

    Q. What is the ministry of the laity?
    A. The ministry of lay persons is to represent Christ and his Church; to bear witness to him wherever they may be and, according to the gifts given them, to carry on Christ's work of reconciliation in the world; and to take their place in the life, worship, and governance of the Church.

– The Catechism, pp 854-855, Book of Common Prayer