Signposts on the Way: Theological Reflections on the Practice of Ministry

This book invites clergy and lay people engaged in Christian mission and parish ministry today to take time out to think about what we can learn from our recent past.

You will be encouraged by Ferguson’s uplifting, inspiring and pragmatic insights gained from 50 years of ministry.

He shows how local ministry is informed by sustained theological reflection. He has worked on the frontiers between the church and the secular city in Wellington, Auckland and Sydney. Ferguson has shared many ecumenical initiatives including the Inner City Ministry, the formation of the Uniting Church in Australia and setting up the Sydney College of Divinity.

He has worked cross-culturally with the Greek and the Korean communities. Each fresh initiative has raised new theological questions.

To help you engage with the text, the book is well indexed, has many footnotes and has a comprehensive table of contents.

There are also many pull quotes sprinkled throughout the book which highlight the author’s insights. For example:
* “…its ministers must decide whether they are going to allow themselves to be manipulated by the power elites, to serve them in the furtherance of their policies.”
* “The task of the Church is to discern the places in the life of the city where Christ is about his saving work and set out to join him there.”
* “Giving people the freedom to exercise their creativity in practical ways that reach achievable goals is exhilarating.”
* “The Scriptures are infuriating. They are rarely lucid or clear.”
* “Our capacity for innovative response is restricted only by the limit of our vision.”
* “I wanted people going into ministry to love the Church, understand it well and serve it selflessly and wholeheartedly.”
* “People have a great ability to set limits to their understanding. They are not prepared to go deeper into faith.”
* “Where the Church insists on a higher authority or a set of truth claims that cannot be questioned or examined, the Church is in trouble.”
* “One of the tasks in the local congregation is to discern the range of gifts present in its life and to ensure that these are recognized, celebrated and used effectively.”

Praise for Signposts on the Way:

"…Ferguson concludes by asking, ‘How do we live in the world as Christ’s people?’ While there may be no absolutely definitive answer the signposts on the way include serving, sharing common humanity, offering friendship, being inclusive and building a community of faith, hope and love.

This is a profound book and not for casual reading. Congregations willing to study and reflect may gain a better understanding of what it means to be the people of God amid the challenges, duties, opportunities, disappointments, joys and sorrows of their particular circumstances." Rev John Meredith, Editor Word and Worship

“Signposts on the Way is a sincere and deeply thoughtful insight into the place of Christian faith in a half century in which it has been subject to doubts, critical analysis, outright rejection and downright abuse. Ferguson makes a strong case for the consistency, insight and value for humanity of the Christian story.” Rev Prof William Emilsen, Research Professor Charles Sturt University, Sydney

“This is good stuff. I needed to read this at a time when so much around us is dark and troublesome.” Ven Dr John Chryssavgis. Theological consultant to the Patriarch of Constantinople