ministry

/ˈmɪnəstri/

/ˈmɪnɪstri/

Other forms: ministries

If you are discussing the duties of your minister or rabbi, you are talking about his or her ministry — the work the religious leader does in serving a congregation. The noun ministry also refers to a group of clergy.

Even if you do not lead a religious community, you can still have a ministry, as the word means to provide information or services about an organization or cause. The charity can have a ministry to serve homeless people. The noun ministry can also refer to a government department. In the United Kingdom, for example, the Ministry of Defense oversees the armed forces. A ministry can also be the building where this sort of government work occurs.

Definitions of ministry

1. noun

   the work of a minister of religion
   “he is studying for the ministry”

   type of:

   employment, work

   the occupation for which you are paid
2. noun

   religious ministers collectively (especially Presbyterian)
   type of:

   priesthood

   the body of ordained religious practitioners
3. noun

   a government department under the direction of a minister
   types:

   Foreign Office

   the government department in charge of foreign relations

   Home Office

   the government department in charge of domestic affairs

   French Foreign Office, Quai d'Orsay

   the French department in charge of foreign affairs; referred to familiarly by its address in Paris

   type of:

   government department

   a department of government
4. noun

   building where the business of a government department is transacted
   type of:

   building, edifice

   a structure that has a roof and walls and stands more or less permanently in one place