New Ecclesial Ministry: Lay Professionals Serving the Church (Revised and Expanded Edition)

Rating:
Summary: Outstanding overview of research on Catholic lay ministry
Review: This is simply the most up-to-date and extensive survey of research and reflection on professional lay ministry in the Catholic Church available today.

The phenomenon of lay (non-ordained) ministers serving in the Catholic Church has been on the rise for some three decades. But serious research and theological reflection has been sparse and rather scattered until recent years. In this book, author Zeni Fox summarizes the major studies of professional lay ministers; the writings of theologians, liturgists, canonists, and scripture scholars; and official statements from popes, Vatican offices, and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Following this extensive survey, Fox offers a concise analysis of key themes and values discerned at the "intersection of present experience and the tradition," and she concludes by suggesting steps to foster lay ministry in the future.

Fox presents the research from her unique perspective as a church professional, seminary professor, consultant to the US bishops' conference, and an active participant in many of the recent discussions.

This is a revised edition. The first appeared in 1997, on the brink of a new wave of research and dialogue at the national level. This 2002 edition, thoroughly revised and expanded, incorporates the studies, symposia, and statements of the intervening five years. Fox added four subsections and one entirely new chapter, and she carefully revised other chapters with updated statistics and references to recent developments.

The result - the most comprehensive overview of research and reflection on lay ecclesial ministry in the Catholic Church.