Good Works: Hospitality and Faithful Discipleship

In this excellent work, Wasserman, founder and executive director of nonprofit ministry Good Works, and Pohl (Living into Community), retired professor of Christian Ethics at Asbury Theological Seminary, share critical insights into the challenges, rewards, and best practices of living in Christian community. The authors use experiences from four decades of Good Works ministry (it works primarily with impoverished and homeless people) to champion the core principles of understanding worship as the paradigm for mission (“Our task as worshipers is not to ‘fix’ people but to love them”), living with integrity, privileging the perspective of the poor, sharing one’s life with people from different backgrounds and circumstances, and developing faithful leaders. Stories illustrate each principle; for example, Wasserman recounts spending days living in different cities trying to navigate the shelter system as if he himself were homeless, in order to “experience how it feels to be on the receiving end.” Each chapter concludes with a prayer and questions for individual or group reflection. This refreshing study will offer valuable guidance and inspiration for pastors, teachers, leaders of social ministries, and people of faith seeking to embed Christian ethics into the fabric of their communities. (July)