It offers a needed response to the oft-asked question, what does it mean to be a minister in contemporary society?" It is a positive and hope-filled book that speaks directly to those men and women who want to be of service in the Church but find the familiar ways crumbling. Nouwen has divided his study into four chapters, which he sees as four different ways of approaching the problems of ministry in our time. The first represents the condition of a suffering world; the second, the condition of a suffering generation; the third, the condition of a suffering man; and the fourth, the condition of a suffering minister. It is his contention that the minister is called to recognize the sufferings of his time in his own heart and make that recognition the starting point of his service. In other words, the minister must be willing to go beyond his professional role and leave himself open as a fellow human being with the same wounds and suffering. In encouraging creative dialogue, Nouwen shows the importance of personal interrelationships to achieve a more effective and relevant ministry in our fragmented culture. Filled with examples from everyday experience, THE WOUNDED HEALER is a thoughtful and insightful guide that will be welcomed by anyone engaged in the service of others, "a book which all of us can profitably read and meditate on."