"Nouwen at his best." —Best Sellers

"A lucid and profoundly simple book." —America

"One's overall response to this book has to be 'Yes.' Yes, this describes a style of ministry desperately needed by all of us." —The Christian Century

What does it mean to be a minister in our modern world? In this hope-filled book, Nouwen offers a fresh interpretation of modern ministry. Here he offers inspiration to men and women who want to be of service in their Church or community but who have found the traditional ways of ministry alienating and ineffective.

According to Nouwen, "the minister is called to recognize the sufferings of his time in his own heart and make that recognition the starting point of his service."