Lee Ramsey mines the riches of southern fiction and discovers a colorful assortment of ministers who arise out of the religious South. At once mystical and mischievous, these ministers haunt the margins of southern life while preaching a gospel that startles and compels.

But their oddness is also their appeal—and part of their gift. For through these colorful portraits of Christian ministry, today’s readers are challenged to think about what matters in ministry and to reimagine ministry in ways that bring new life to the church and community. Throughout, Ramsey shows how ministers such as Roger Hagan in Will Campbell’s The Convention and Hazel Motes in Flannery O’Connor’s Wise Blood can help show us the stumbling blocks to faithful ministry and steer clergy and congregations forward in today’s world.

G. Lee Ramsey Jr., a native of Savannah, Georgia, is an ordained United Methodist minister. He lives in Memphis, Tennessee, and teaches at Memphis Theological Seminary. He


An exploration of southern is the author of several books on preaching. ministers in southern fiction that illuminates the task of ministry today