Overview

Befriend narrates a personal experience of the author with the formation of a faith-based nonprofit in health services. It combines real-life examples with theories from several disciplines to describe the nature and role of nonprofit in a community. The book argues that faith-based nonprofits create spaces of hospitality and inclusion for diverse humanity. They are poised to teach practices of friendship based on the friendship of Trinity and personal awareness of how mental health can either contribute to friendships in communities or inhibit it.

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9781666709988

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Reviews

"""Jana Struková's heartfelt memoir and reflective analysis brims with stories, theological reflection, and life-giving spiritual practices that nurture individuals and build nonprofits and promote their thriving. This book offers a treasure trove of theoretical and practical resources for cultivating community care."" --Michael S. Koppel, professor of pastoral theology and congregational care, Wesley Theological Seminary ""Befriend turns the common view of nonprofits as service providers on its head, insisting instead that nonprofits are agents of friendship--a practice that strikes at the heart of Christian discipleship. Sharing her own journey as a theologian and nonprofit leader, Jana Struková offers much practical wisdom and theological reflection on the nonprofit sector. For those who see their pastoral callings expanding beyond the church walls--and indeed, for anyone concerned about our increasingly fractured, friendless world--Befriend is essential reading."" --Kenda Creasy Dean, professor of youth, church, and culture, Princeton Theological Seminary ""Jana Struková weaves together family narratives, wisdom about nonprofit development, and spiritual depth in this marvelous contribution to leadership literature. Deeply informed by trinitarian theology and the friendship of Jesus, the book elegantly translates these into practices for befriending others in holistic care. The vocation of restoring hope to community draws upon one's own healing to build healing connections with others. This is what diaconal love looks like."" --Craig L. Nessan, academic dean and professor of contextual theology and ethics, Wartburg Theological Seminary ""In Befriend, Jana Struková relies on the strength of her family's history and faith in God to tell her journey of becoming a community advocate and helping others with the Mary and Martha Center. If more would follow the lessons learned in Befriend, the world would be a better place."" --Peter Asciutto, Stanly County commissioner ""Jana Struková has given us the gift of bringing us into the full human presence of those we find in our lives--those we love already and can now love with more insight, empathy, and authenticity. And those we know only because they need us and need us to be competent as well as compassionate, effective as well as empathetic. She has learned these deep arts of humanity in a life empowered with both Spirit and intellect. What a gift!"" --Gary Gunderson, vice president, FaithHealth"

"""Jana Struková's heartfelt memoir and reflective analysis brims with stories, theological reflection, and life-giving spiritual practices that nurture individuals and build nonprofits and promote their thriving. This book offers a treasure trove of theoretical and practical resources for cultivating community care."" --Michael S. Koppel, professor of pastoral theology and congregational care, Wesley Theological Seminary ""Befriend turns the common view of nonprofits as service providers on its head, insisting instead that nonprofits are agents of friendship--a practice that strikes at the heart of Christian discipleship. Sharing her own journey as a theologian and nonprofit leader, Jana Struková offers much practical wisdom and theological reflection on the nonprofit sector. For those who see their pastoral callings expanding beyond the church walls--and indeed, for anyone concerned about our increasingly fractured, friendless world--Befriend is essential reading."" --Kenda Creasy Dean, professor of youth, church, and culture, Princeton Theological Seminary ""Jana Struková weaves together family narratives, wisdom about nonprofit development, and spiritual depth in this marvelous contribution to leadership literature. Deeply informed by trinitarian theology and the friendship of Jesus, the book elegantly translates these into practices for befriending others in holistic care. The vocation of restoring hope to community draws upon one's own healing to build healing connections with others. This is what diaconal love looks like."" --Craig L. Nessan, academic dean and professor of contextual theology and ethics, Wartburg Theological Seminary ""In Befriend, Jana Struková relies on the strength of her family's history and faith in God to tell her journey of becoming a community advocate and helping others with the Mary and Martha Center. If more would follow the lessons learned in Befriend, the world would be a better place."" --Peter Asciutto, Stanly County commissioner ""Jana Struková has given us the gift of bringing us into the full human presence of those we find in our lives--those we love already and can now love with more insight, empathy, and authenticity. And those we know only because they need us and need us to be competent as well as compassionate, effective as well as empathetic. She has learned these deep arts of humanity in a life empowered with both Spirit and intellect. What a gift!"" --Gary Gunderson, vice president, FaithHealth"

Author Information

Jana Struková is the founder and executive director of The Mary and Martha Center for Women and Community Care. She is a public scholar and professor of practical theology affiliated with different graduate schools. She is the author of Kitchen Table Youth Ministry (2010) and of the monograph A Vocational Model of Confirmation (2009).

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