“But each of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ’s gift. The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ. We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people’s trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming. But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body’s growth in building itself up in love.” (Ephesians 4:7, 11-16)

As members of the Episcopal Church, we believe that Holy Baptism, the call of Jesus, and his gift of the Holy Spirit is the basis for all Christian ministry. Significant participation of lay people (in a holy partnership with our clergy and bishops) at every level of Church government is intended to keep us open to what the Holy Spirit is doing through the whole Body of Christ.

According to the Catechism, “The ministers of the Church are lay persons, bishops, priests, and deacons.” (Book of Common Prayer, p. 855) Lay persons come first. For us, this is part and parcel of our Reformation heritage of the priesthood of all believers. Note that it is the priesthood of all believers (working together within the recognized structures of the Body), rather than the priesthood of every believer. Like our prayer, which is common or shared prayer, our ministry is shared or common ministry.

In the Episcopal Church, almost every ministry we do is carried out by lay persons, often working hand-in-hand with lay leaders and clergy The ministry of the laity in particular 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.” (Book of Common Prayer, p. 855)

Trinity is part of the Episcopal Diocese of Texas, one of the great missionary dioceses of the Episcopal Church. Part of what makes our parish and our diocese so strong is the gifts and passions of the baptized members. We seek and expect Jesus to show up and transform lives in miraculous ways.

This section of our website is intended to give you a taste of what God does through his People who gather here at Trinity. If there is a ministry we need to pursue but isn’t here, our attitude is let’s start it. Provided that it’s consistent with our overall mission, we are always willing to try new things. As our Presiding Bishop has said, we are the Episcopal branch of the Jesus Movement. Institutions are important, and they have structures, leaders, and rules. But they should always support the Movement, rather than the other way around. Our attitude is about following Jesus together, wherever he may lead, and responding to the Spirit of love.