The Four Open Doors -- Ministry in a Dislocated World The Search of Nuclear Man -- Ministry for a Rootless Generation Looking into the furgitive's Eyes -- Ministry to a Hopeless Man Waiting for Tomorrow -- Ministry by a Lonely Minister The Wounded Healer -- Conclusion A forward Thrust

What does it mean to be a minister in contemporary society? This question has been raised during the last few years by many men and women who want to be of service but find the familiar ways crumbling, writes Henri Nouwen. And in this thoughtful book the well-known psychologist proposes a far-reaching approach to making those "crumbling familiar ways" more effective and relevant in our fragmented culture. Nothing that modern man is above all a suffering man–he is psychologically wounded by lack of hope, by loneliness–Professor Nouwen explains why the minister of today can only help others deal with these problems if he is willing to go beyond his professional role and leave himself open as a fellow human being with his own wounds and suffering. The author then suggests concrete methods by which the minister can use this creative human dialogue to bring freedom and liberation to those afflicted by the major anxieties of our times, such as those who withdraw into the self and flee from meaningful living in a kind of convulsive behavior, and those who respond to the threat of nuclear catastrophe by seeking various new sensations to make life more livable without regard to the consequences. And finally he considers how this personal interrelationship will affect the life of the minister himself, the lonely man, wounded so that he can help others. Throughout, Professor Nowen fills his work with numerous examples drawn from everyday experience. Intended to suggest directions rather than provide final solutions, his advice is filled with the rich spiritual and psychological insights he has developed in his dual role as a priest psychologist.