The Church in response to human need

There are many new books written (especially from the Emergent Church movement) about the church breaking out of its walls and touching lives throughout the world. In a large personal library of world aid, humanitarian service, social justice, and compassion I can truly state that this one book raced from "new to me" to first place in my library on such topics. This was a book that is detailed in some areas, engaging in other areas, and thoroughly insightful on issues of social justice, compassion, mission, political/social change, and filled with insights from people from many cultures, nations, and perspectives who wrote each chapter. Admittedly, this compendium of "white papers" was distilled after one of the Lausanne meetings (Wheaton 1983) and could be viewed as dated and irrelevant to the 21st Century. However, the ideas, the suggestions, the data and more could not be more relevant for today's world. Yes, some of the data needs to be adjusted to current information (world population, etc.) but there is very little, if any, changes in the nature, the call, the critique and challenges given out by these authors. Whether the author of each chapter is from South America, Europe, the Asian sub-continent, or the western world I have rarely found a volume that has challenged my thinking for the causes of social transformation than this one. If I were working with an agency, NGO, or company whose purpose it was to include the church in responding to world need, this is one book I would freely give to the key leader, CEO, Senior Pastor, and mission committee. This is not only a volume that is informative, but I found it to a volume (if not every single chapter) filled with practical ideas for implementation, for changing the ethnocentrism of the church, and changing the means and ways that churches respond to the needs of the world. Definitely a top recommendation in my book! I would not only read it and place it in my library (which I have done) I would recommend it and I would keep it handy as a reference tool for keeping a church on the cutting edge of social transformation.