The Oxford Thesaurus An A-Z Dictionary of Synonyms - ministryn.

1) priesthood, sacred calling, the church, the pulpit, the cloth; religion, holy orders: Burt retired from the ministry to write tracts. 2) clergy, clergymen or clergywomen, clericals, the cloth, church elders or elders of the church: During his regime, the ministry exercised great influence on the government. 3) department, office, bureau, agency: Military affairs are the responsibility of the Ministry of Defence.