"Singing the Lord's Song in a Strange Land": that's how Steele Mar-tin describes ministry in his savvy, original, and pungent fashion. He calls particular attention to "Mainline" blindness to "Blue Col-lar Churches," reminding us that denominational, educational, and stewardship materials, our styles of professional preparation, the components of our worship, our dependence on "texts," overlook "Blue Collar" America, with its hunger for the gospel and its way of expressing it. Martin's prescriptions for leadership in these par ishes, his critique of a "needs generated" missionology, his insights into a biblically based hope for these "Middle Parishes" hold for faithful pastors in any situation.
James W. Crawford
Minister
Old South Church
Boston, Massachusetts
A large sector of America consists of people who are in between the poor to whom "urban ministry" is directed and the affluent who belong to "suburban parishes." Steele and Priscilla Martin have given us a very perceptive analysis of the position of this sec-tor and of the reason why clergy and other mainline church leaders find it hard to work effectively in this setting. This book will not only assist clergy and their spouses within this sphere, but also help many others, in parishes of every sort, to achieve a deeper view of the message of the gospel to all sorts and conditions of people.