Scholarly Resources from Concordia Seminary

Word and Sacrament Ministry as Social Ministry in the Urban and College Context

In Rev. Aurelio Magariño’s words, “Social ministry complements Word and Sacrament ministry.” Putting these two together, we can think of the social aspect of Word and Sacrament ministry as table fellowship ministry. The Gospel of Luke gives us the theological framework to apply this to urban ministry contexts, whether that context is to ethnic minorities, the homeless, addicts or students on a college campus, as all these groups share a common denominator: the powerlessness and hopelessness that comes with being in the margins of society. As pastors, how do we incorporate table fellowship ministry in each of our unique urban ministry contexts to bring them the Word and Sacraments? This presentation aims to offer a theological framework from the Gospel of Luke on table fellowship ministry amidst the marginalized in our urban contexts and to begin a conversation on best practices.