At Gordon College a lawsuit is attempting to clarify which employees can be classified as "ministers" because of the religious mission of the entire college. A narrow interpretation of "ministers" would make it very difficult to restrict employees to those whose beliefs and lifestyles supported the Christian goals for which the college was established. A ruling in this case could have implications for other schools and mission organizations as well. Unfortunately, this question doesn't just exist in US law. It also exists in many churches who see Christian school teachers as "just teachers" rather than an integral part of the mission of the church. The working assumption seems to be that only those in "sacred" activities are ministers while those in "secular" activities don't have a God-given calling and responsibility as they serve their neighbors in all kinds of practical ways.
