Everyone Must Eat
Food, Sustainability, and Ministry
- Church Leadership & Ministry
- Publisher: Fortress Press (Augsburg Fortress)
- Published: 2021
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Publisher's Description
Rural contexts are often over-looked, treated as "flyover land." But because everyone must eat, rural communities and their work in food production are important to the whole of society. Mark Yackel-Juleen spent many years in rural ministry and is the founder and executive director of Shalom Hill Farm. He offers valuable insight on the present issues of food production and environmental sustainability, and connects it in profound and practical ways to the biblical and theological tradition. The result is a clear set of powerful and actionable tools to help rural leaders and ministers address issues of sustainability and land use in their ministry. Everyone Must Eat masterfully shows how one can integrate the sociology of community, the secular realities of economics and public policy, and the powerful presence of God's word in order to practice faithful leadership.
Endorsements (6)
“In this brief, story-driven book, Mark L. Yackel-Juleen creates bridges across the many familiar divides we inhabit. Everyone Must Eat offers a way past urban/rural, foodie/corporation, libertarian/government activist and draws us into the complexities of living in deep relationship with each other and all of creation. An excellent read. I highly recommend it!”
“Ending hunger and building a sustainable food system for the future means confronting the structures, policies, and institutions that shape how we get our food. But this also means understanding the communities, cultures, and history of our relationship to food, land, and people. Yackel-Juleen reminds us that behind heady topics such as sustainability and efficiency are deeper issues of value, meaning, identity, faith, and vocation. He deftly bridges his personal experience with data to uncover the realities behind our current food system and what we need to change for the future. His careful research, deep reflection on faith, and practical tips for ministry bring readers into the lives and histories of rural communities that are too often overlooked. As Yackel-Juleen writes, it is the story of the ‘land and the people’ that reminds us that ending hunger is about ‘relationships, not just the economics of global food production.’ That is an important reminder, and the book should be required reading for anyone passionate about food, hunger, the environment, and the future of the church.”
“Mark Yackel-Juleen’s clear-eyed reckoning that we need ‘to accomplish a more just food system and maintain a healthier planet’ emerges from careful listening and faithful service among rural people. In a society desperately groping for meaningful response to climate disaster, Everyone Must Eat offers ways to replace hand-wringing with hands-on expression of God’s abiding love for God’s good creation.”
“Everyone Must Eat is a book for our time, confronting widespread misunderstanding about the relationship between food and the cultural, theological, and sociological context of rural people and places. Yackel-Juleen’s book is a resource for training and equipping readers to engage reflectively with the ‘agri-culture’ of rural areas. His passion for rural ministry threads its way through this book, encouraging people to embrace a calling to love the people and places that are often overshadowed or marginalized by corporations and national or global priorities in food production.”
“Everyone Must Eat is a thumbs-up, and I highly endorse it. It is well written, easy to read, and full of great information. While writing primarily for leaders of rural or small-town congregations, Yackel-Juleen offers helpful ideas for any professional who wants to understand how to work most effectively with rural people.”
“Everyone Must Eat offers an excellent primer about everything rural. A great resource, especially for pastors new to ministry in rural communities.”
Dr. Bernie Evans
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