Published: 1997

ISBN: 0875522173

Ministries of Mercy: The Call of the Jericho Road is the work of the Presbyterian pastor and church planter, Timothy Keller.  The opening chapters of this book are a vivid reminder to those of us living behind our white picket fences and enjoying the middle class life that while times are tough these days, there are plenty of folks far worse off.  After planting the seed of the burden in the readers heart, Keller goes on to lay out an intensely practical and biblical approach for dealing with the problem of poverty.  Without getting stuck on any ideological perspective, Keller deftly weaves doctrine together with pragmatic solutions. 

I listened to an audio version of this book over several weeks allowing the powerful message of this book to seep into my mind and heart.  After reading or listening to this book, a person would need a heart of stone to not want to get involved in some way in a Ministry of Mercy. 

Since my entire experience with this book was while driving, my notes are somewhat disjointed, having not quite mastered the art of writing while driving.  (I plead the 5th on texting and driving!)

Premise

Keller offers a convincing argument that the church is uniquely situationed to deal with poverty.  Whereas government, 501c3 and other NGO organizations are all effective to an extent, the church can offer a full solution to poverty because they can deal with the root causes of  poverty. 

He identifies three primary or root causes of poverty:

  • Calamity (death, illness etc)
  • Oppression (abusive relationship etc)
  • Sin (addictions, legal issues etc)

The church must not blame all poverty on the last of these causes, however they are equipped to deal with it if that is the issue at hand.  In addition, the church should equip itself to deal equally effectively with the other two causes. We ought not concede ministry to the poor to secular institutions simply because we feel that we aren't properly trained to deal with emotional or psychological issues.  Certainly we should avail ourselves of the aid of those who have been trained specifically in these fields but that gives us no license to shy away from these responsibilities.

Interestingly, Keller points out that Mercy Ministry is not just something to be done for the benefit of the community.  The Christian himself benefits because until you see the love that God requires us to give to our neighbor, we cannot accept the love that He offers to us. 

Meeting Felt Needs Through Deeds

Keller draws a mental picture of concentric and ever-expanding needs.  These needs loosely correlate to Maslow's hierarchy but are pointedly "theologically correct." 

At the core is Theological needs.  Next out are Psychological (mental and emotional) needs.  The next level is Sociological (relationship) needs.  The outside ring represents the most readily "felt" need and is Physiological or physical needs. 

This progression of needs provides an outline for the progression of thinking as Keller explores our role in helping the poor.  After developing concrete goals for several chapters, Keller offers a pragmatic breakdown of seven levels of restoration (as opposed to relief) that should be a roadmap for mercy ministries. 

  1. Direct Assistance
  2. Information and Counseling
  3. Advocacy
  4. Individual Transformation (Education, Housing, Jobs)
  5. Community Transformation (Co-ops, community businesses)
  6. Information for Justice (Policy makers)
  7. Intervention for Justice (Political)

The first three levels are what Keller terms "Direct Assistance" and are where most church ministries get involved if at all.  The next two (4 and 5) are Transformation assistance and begin to bring about permanent change in the lives of individuals and communities.  The last two (6 and 7) are Reformation assistance and are broader in scope but arguably just as important.  Who better to inform and influence government policy makers and legislators for good than the church?

Practical Implementation

When diving into the nuts and bolts of implementing mercy ministries, Keller displays a solid understanding of the inner workings of most American churches.  He offers sound advice on dealing with many of the traps that await someone hoping to engage in mercy ministries.

For a leader designing a mercy ministry or outreach program, Keller says to ask several questions:

  1. What are the needs?
  2. What services already exist?
  3. What are the gaps?
  4. How can we find the needy who fall into these gaps?

When matching gifts to needs there are two questions that apply to existing ministries and three more that apply to starting up a new one:

  1. What needs resonate?
  2. What skills do you have?
  3. Are there others who share this burden?
  4. Is there really an opening?
  5. Have you counted the cost?

There are countless other nuggets of wisdom that Keller tosses out in this book. 

Notes

  • Desire + Ability + Opportunity = Call
  • Mercy limits Mercy where necessary
  • The Law (and the Pharisees) sought to restrict the definition of "who is my neighbor?"  Jesus sought to expand the definition!
  • Word and Deed have a single end
  • Average age of a homeless person (dated stat) is 34
  • Grace & Mercy
    • Grace is related to man's merits (or lack thereof)
    • Mercy is related to man's misery.
  • To be poor in spirit is to be totally empty of self.
  • We should help out of gratefulness, not guilt.
  • Treating symptoms is good; Treating root causes is better.
  • Mercy provides plausibility for the Gospel not just credibility.

Conclusion

I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this book.  Since I have literally dozens of books on my "to read" list already, I rarely read books more than once however this one might be an exception.  The practical nature of the book along with the biblical knowledge strewn throughout makes this a wonderful read and would be a great addition to a library.