This is a professional book on the doctrine of the ministry. The first half is a thorough study of what the Bible teaches about the concept and term "ministry" in church usage, the priesthood of believers, the divine institution of the public ministry, forms of public ministry, the office of pastor, the ministry of the apostles, the call into the public ministry, ordination, women and ministry, and the purpose of ministry. The second half focuses on how the ministry has been practiced in various historical forms: Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Enthusiasts, Presbyterians, and Congregationalists. This section also contains a lengthy discussion of the ministry debates between WELS and the LCMS. This book represents the most thorough modern treatment of the doctrine of the ministry written from a confessional Lutheran perspective. The book looks at the Confessions, Luther, and other prominent Lutheran theologians only after a thorough study of Scripture on the topic.