New Book on Community Ministry Released

David Crocker’s new book—The Samaritan Way: Lifestyle Compassion Ministry—is on bookshelves as you read this.  It is another volume in The Columbia Partnership Leadership series.  (The book on Operation Inasmuch is one of the top sellers in this series.)
            The Samaritan Way is David’s first response to God’s urging that the Inasmuch ministry go beyond the one-day Inasmuch events to encourage, inspire and equip individual believers and congregations to adopt a lifestyle of compassion ministry.  It will become another tool in the Inasmuch toolbox empowering congregations to take their community ministry to another level. 
            Eric Swanson, co-author of The Externally Focused Church has this to say about David’s book:  “Drawing from the Scriptures, history, and best practices of churches from around the country, David provides a wonderful treatise for engaging the under-resourced and often unnoticed people in our communities.  As a passionate practitioner, David is well qualified to lead you and your church into the future.”
            The Samaritan Way is saturated with inspiring stories of both individuals and congregations who have made compassion ministry a lifestyle.  It is written in such a way as to serve as an excellent study for small groups.  A Study Guide for the book is available on the Inasmuch website:  www.operationinasmuch.com/samaritan_book.php. 
            The book exposes the pervasive attitude in many believers that church “is about them,” that is, that the church is supposed to serve the members, when, in fact, true missional churches understand that their focus is those beyond the walls of the church house, particularly toward those with needs church can and should meet.  It expounds on the emerging concept that compassion ministry is an indispensable part of what it means to follow Jesus (Chapter 5: We Need the Poor).  It offers practical suggestions as to how congregations can become intentional in helping their members make compassion ministry a lifestyle (Chapter 7: Moving Down the Funnel).  Finally, it provides the stories of two congregations who have done just that (Chapter 8: Churches That Make a Difference). 

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