"A beguiling image for the mission of the Church in our time. It combines the Samaritan parable's deceptive simplicity with a realism about what the Church is up against in this world."--Mark Trotter, Pastor, First United Methodist, San Diego. After describing the biblical mandates for the mission of ministry, Dr. Messer calls church leaders to: -understand the world as God's body -live as a covenant of global gardeners -work as bridge builders -form a company of star-throwers and peacemakers -embrace a community of fence movers

Traditionally, the roles of Christian ministry have been thought of as priest, pastor, and prophet. Donald E. Messer adds five contemporary images: Wounded Healer, Servant Leader, Political Mystic, Practical Theologian, and Enslaved Liberator. By combining these new images with the more traditional roles, readers will develop their own personal vision of Christian ministry.

More than twenty years into the global AIDS pandemic, the efforts of Christian congregations and denominations have been less than minimal. This book is aimed to awaken Christian compassion in the coming years to this fathomless tragedy. The worst health crisis in the world in 700 years, global HIV/AIDS epidemic is overwhelming in scale: 40 million people are infected worldwide (75% of them in Africa); 7000 people die daily; each day 1600 persons are infected. Some 26 million people have already died. "At this unprecedented "kairos moment in human history," says Messer, "God is calling the...

Writing for congregations and individuals of faith, McGovern, Dole, and Messer appeal to the biblical, theological, and ethical foundations of action against hunger.