Lay Ministry: A Theological, Spiritual, and Pastoral Handbook

The author has achieved his goal of providing spiritual and pastoral support for lay ministry by covering a wide spectrum of interests: historical information, spiritual growth, personal reflection, and career choices. - Lay Ministry Newsletter of the National Association for Lay Ministry Lay Ministry unmasks the notion for the average Catholic that the consistancy of the tradition is also unquestionably clear. Rademacher routes us from Moses to Paul, from Ignatious to Gregory VII to John Paul II, tracing both the theology and practices that underlie contemporary ministry in the church. The trail is one that few Catholics have ever had the chance to walk, and the end point is far different from the one to which we have become accustomed. Rademacher makes points that must be understood and discussed at every level of the church if the church is to remain vibrant in our own times. The limiting definition of the seven sacraments, the restriction on lay participation in the church, the loss of the spiritual meaning of ministry, the clericalization of the church, the effects of sexism on sacrementality, and an inadequate understanding of the nature of the Christian call are all stones across the door of the tomb that block the resurrection of the church to the fullness of life. Rademacher faces them all, forthrightly and courageously. What’s more he makes us face them too. Do I recommend it? I would assign it. - Joan Chittister, O.S.B.