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by Francisco Zamora Avila (Author)
Drawing on Zamora's lived experience and deep connections to the undocumented immigrant community, this book invites readers into deep reflection regarding the enormous need for a new ecclesial model of ministry on the margins. A voice for a voiceless community, Zamora brings both lived experience and a pastoral heart to bear in this unique window into both the stress and trauma and the gifts of undocumented immigrant communities. Zamora helps us understand that churches must develop informed theologies of immigration, psychological understanding of the distinctive challenges immigrants face, and practical new approaches toward ministry.
Rarely do American ministry leaders hear from those who have actively experienced this trauma and then gone on to study and serve in this community. Zamora's distinctive credentials and passion for ministry with and among immigrants offer a new and important perspective. Zamora is a courageous leader for a courageous community. His model of pastoral care among the displaced offers clear-eyed guidance for Christians committed to more effective ministry among those wounded by their immigration experiences. What does it mean to shepherd congregants who lack documented status? How might trauma manifest among those who have fled violence or experienced great loss? Zamora's thoughtful treatment of these and other questions will help ministry leaders develop vital awareness and understanding, leading readers toward a horizon of new pastoral models for the broader church.
