CRG assigned WR. 6/14/16 cd.

To seriously answer the prophet Micah’s query, “What does the Lord require of you?” challenges today’s suburban Protestant congregation to begin ministering to the poor. What are the first steps a group might take to discover such a ministry? This book, designed in sessions for small group study, progresses from defining ministry in the margins to Biblical and theological foundations to examples of what such ministries might look like. It helps a congregation understand more fully and envision its role in urban ministry. Each chapter contains discussion questions at the end to help individuals and congregations share what they have learned from the study, evaluate their own church’s involvement in outreach ministry, and envision how they might minister with, not to, the poor. In the chapter, “Getting to the Margin,” the authors differentiate charity from ministry, acknowledging charity as the beginning and challenging that to follow Jesus means going to the margins like Jesus did and “getting your hands dirty.” Groups and congregations who feel called to do more relevant ministry will find this to be a helpful beginning source.