Buried Seeds: Learning from the Vibrant Resilience of Marginalized Christian Communities

by Alexia Salvatierra

"They tried to bury us. They didn't know we were seeds." In this book, Alexia Salvatierra and Brandon Wrencher explore two grassroots faith movements whose witness has been buried within the histories of the institutional church and secular justice movements: the base ecclesial communities of the Global South in the late twentieth century and the hush harbors of the US antebellum South.

Buried Seeds demonstrates how these two overlooked ministry models offer proven wisdom and strategies for the twenty-first-century church and contemporary social movements. The authors show how these ministry models are treasure troves of insight into the creation and sustenance of vital Christian community, particularly for those seeking indigenous, culturally rooted models. They show that mission models must integrate social justice in order to speak to today's generations with power. This book will help readers learn how to integrate vibrant Christ-centered faith and mission with world-changing social justice and political action. It includes compelling on-the-ground stories from multiethnic communities expressing alternative ministry models.

Contents
Foreword by Robert Chao Romero  
Introduction: Longing for More
1. Base Ecclesial Communities: The Lord Hears the Cry of the Poor
2. Hush Harbors: The Invisible Black Prophetic Church
3. Kinship: Familia en Comunión
4. Leader-full: Participación
5. Consciousness: Conscientización and el Mensaje de Liberación
6. Spirit-uality: Sanidad and la Teología de las Abuelas
7. Faith-full Organizing: Alma y Fermenta de la Sociedad
8. Catch the Fire: An Integrated Vision for the Twenty-First Century
La Fuente Ministries by Marcos Canales
Mission House Church by Anthony Smith
Afterword by Willie James Jennings
References
Index