Rating: 
(New York: Doubleday Religion, 1972)
109 pgs
I have heard much about Henry Nouwen over the years and had always wanted to read his work. He was a Catholic priest and scholar from Holland who served as a professor at Harvard University. He eventually resigned his prestigious post and ministered to mentally challenged people at L’Arche Daybreak Community in Toronto, Canada. He writes from a Catholic, somewhat philosophical perspective. The book is only 109 pages, so it is not a daunting undertaking, though his style forces you to think and ponder what he is saying.
The book was written in 1972 and so it is somewhat dated. Nevertheless, he raises some fundamental issues that are still extremely relevant to today.
Nouwen’s purpose is to examine the question: “What does it mean to be a minister in contemporary society?” (3). Of course, in 1972, America seemed ready to tear apart with the hippie movement, Vietnam, and the spread of communism. Long-held beliefs and morals were under siege and ministers correctly needed to address how to minister to a radically changing society.
Throughout this short book, Nouwen makes statements that are eye-catching. Had he written in the age of Twitter, many statements could easily have been launched into social media. Some of those quotes include the following:
“The future of humanity has now become an option” (11)
“Only when we feel ourselves responsible for the future can we have hope or despair” (13).
“Christianity is radically challenged to adapt itself to be understood by the modern world” (19).
“. . . we see humans paralyzed by dislocation and fragmentation, caught in the prison of our own mortality” (19).
“What is most personal is most universal” (20).
Nouwen describes “conversion’ as “the individual equivalent of revolution” (23). He also notes that, “Jesus did not offer an ideology but Himself” (25).
He suggests that there are three primary issues that modern ministry must address. These are: inwardness, fatherlessness, and convulsiveness (31). He suggests that modern society often has “parents but no fathers” (34). He claims that many people “. . . prefer failure to believing in those who have already failed right before their eyes” (36).
Nouwen charges that many Church leaders today “. . . have become unfamiliar with, and even somewhat afraid of, the deep and significant movements of the Spirit” (42). Interestingly, he suggests that, “Only those who are able to articulate their own experiences can offer themselves to others as sources of clarification” (42). He also charges: “But the danger is that instead of becoming free to let the spirit grow, ministers may entangle themselves in the complications of their own assumed competence and use their specialism as an excuse to avoid the much more difficult task of being compassionate” (46).
In urging ministers to reflect on their own experience, he says, “As contemplative critics they keep a certain distance to prevent becoming absorbed in what is urgent and most immediate, but that same distance allows them to bring to the fore the real beauty of the world and of humanity, which is always different, always fascinating, always new” (48). He also notes: “If anything has become clear in our day, it is that leadership is a shared vocation that develops by working closely together in community” (51). Additionally, he quotes Teilhard de Chardin who said: “To those who can see, nothing is profane” (51). In addition, he suggests: “None of us can offer leadership to anyone unless we make our presence known” (70).
Other interesting observations include:
“It is a paradox indeed that those who want to be for “everyone” often find themselves unable to be close to anyone” (77).
“Few listen to a sermon that is intended to be applicable to everyone, but most pay careful attention to words born out of concern for only a few” (79).
“Christian leaders are not leaders because they announce a new idea and try to convince others of its worth. They are leaders because they face the world with eyes full of expectation and with the expertise to take away the veil that covers its hidden potential” (80).
“The Christian way of life does not take away our loneliness; it protects and cherishes it as a precious gift” (90).
Nouwen urges throughout the book that ministers must minister to others out of their own woundedness. He notes: “They are each called to be the wounded healer, the ones who must not only look after their own wounds, but at the same time be prepared to heal the wounds of others” (88). He notes: “The painful irony is that ministers who want to touch the center of peoples’ lives, find themselves on the periphery, often pleading in vain for admission. They never seem to be where the action is, where the plans are made and the strategies discussed” (92). Interestingly, he also notes that “. . . suffering people are not helped by those who tell them that they have the same problems” (94). He goes on to suggest that, “Perhaps the main task of the minister is to prevent people from suffering for the wrong reason” (99). Finally, he notes: “. . . ministry is a sign of hope because it makes visible the first rays of light of the coming Messiah” (102).
This is not a book on methodology. Rather, it encourages readers to reflect on their approach to ministry. Nouwen is compelling, in part because the reader realizes that he abandoned a lucrative position on the faculty at Harvard to minister to those who were mentally challenged. In this humbling of himself he found peace as a minister of Christ. Nouwen does not tell us to do the same as he did, but he does encourage readers to consider their own spiritual journey as the ground upon which to minister to others.
For those accustomed to reading pragmatic books on leadership, this may be a refreshing respite. It is from a Catholic perspective. This fact might add to its ability to make the reader pause and reflect. Reading this book led me to read a second Nouwen book that I’ll review separately from this one.
Though this book at times seems a bit dated in its historic context and certain societal issues, his fundamental inquiry is still relevant to today’s minister.
by Richard Blackaby