What is "ministry" according to the scriptures?  This is a purely religious word that is actually not found in the Bible anywhere, at least not as it is defined in English.

Let's look that word up.  We can just Google it.  Here we see "the work or vocation of a minister of religion.  The period of tenure of a minister of religion.  The spiritual work or service of any Christian or a group of Christians, especially evangelism."  Well, okay, I guess that one will work, but I didn't see that in any of the other dictionaries I looked the word up in.  And then there are the secular uses that have to do with government positions, although these certainly have religious roots as well.

Then we have "minister" which, as a noun, refers to the clergy (or a government official), and then as a verb can be used either as attending to the needs of someone in general, or as a religious act of service.

So, now let's look at the words in the New Testament that are translated "ministry" and "minister."

There's λειτουργια, from which we get the religious English transliteration, "liturgy," Greek letter for Latin letter, sound for sound, having to do with service offered for that to which you are devoted.  That has a verb form λειτουργεω, and λειτουργος would refer to the person.  Then there's διακονια, which has to do with voluntary service.  That has a verb form διακονεω, and then διακονος, which refers to the person, a servant.

Note that these are common, secular words that were later made religious, particularly in English usage.  There is no such thing as a [quote]"minister"[unquote] by profession, in the New Testament.  There is no such thing as a [quote]"ministry"[unquote] by profession or as an institutional organization, in the New Testament.  These are later, religious, inventions.  And to [quote]"minister"[unquote] just means to serve.

There is one English religious word, "deacon," which is a transliteration from διακονος, Greek letter for Latin letter, sound for sound, which now refers to a church official.  Church people got this from 1 Tim 3:8-13.  But the word is just "servant."  Obviously, the apostle Paul is talking about qualifications for a servant role, but this is just that people designated for service in the body of Christ need to be beyond reproach, since they are representing the body of Christ.  It has come to be that, in churchianity, elders and deacons are the captains and lieutenants in an ecclesiastical institutional church hierarchy.  But if you take the religious word, [quote]"deacon"[unquote], away, then the institutional label loses its power.  It's "servant."

In 2 Cor 5:18 it points out that those who are believers are given the [quote]"ministry"[unquote] of reconciliation.  That's διακονια. "Service."  So, as the English word, "ministry," goes, all believers are [quote]"in the ministry"[unquote].

So, there you go.  Now you are a "deacon" and "minister" with a "ministry."  So much for the religious words.

And don't worry about not being ordained to the clergy.  Ordained and clergy are not in the Bible either.