Transform your approach to refugee ministry through a powerful paradigm shift that leads to sustainability, mutual relationships, and lasting impact.

The Faithful Innkeeper offers Christians serving displaced people a revolutionary perspective on serving refugee neighbors. Rather than viewing ourselves as the "Good Samaritan" hero of Jesus' famous parable, seasoned ministry practitioner Rachel Uthmann invites readers to embrace the role of the faithful innkeeper—the one who provides essential care and hospitality within human limitations in partnership with Jesus, our true Good Samaritan.

This compassionate guide addresses the real challenges faced by those committed to refugee ministry: How do we serve sustainably without burning out? How do we build genuine, mutual relationships? How do we process the grief and trauma we encounter while maintaining hope and effectiveness?

Drawing from biblical wisdom and practical experience, Uthmann demonstrates how remembering God as the initiator and source of our work frees us from despair in the face of overwhelming need. From this life-giving posture of partnership with Christ, we can fulfill our part in our neighbor's healing journey without burning out.

What you'll find in The Faithful Innkeeper:



- Fresh exploration of the Good Samaritan parable, highlighting Jesus as the true Good Samaritan and our role as the innkeeper

- Crucial insights to help those in ministry among displaced people become better informed about the complex realities of the refugee experience

- A sustainable ministry model for long-term, life-giving service in mutually transformative relationships

- The role of the church in building relationships with refugees



Life-giving ministry emerges when we respond faithfully to God's invitation to partnership while leaving ultimate outcomes to his care. This book is great for volunteers, church leaders, missionaries, and anyone involved in immigrant or refugee services. With The Faithful Innkeeper, discover how walking alongside refugee neighbors can be one of life's greatest gifts.



Carmen Joy Imes (PhD, Wheaton) is associate professor of Old Testament at Biola University. She is the author of Bearing God's Name: Why Sinai Still Matters, Being God's Image: Why Creation Still Matters, and Becoming God's Family: Why the Church Still Matters.







Rachel Uthmann is director of training at the International Association for Refugees, where she equips Christians for faithful, sustainable, and fruitful service among people forcibly displaced from their homes by violence or persecution. She is a master facilitator with the Healing the Wounds of Trauma program. She previously served in ministry in the United Kingdom, Italy, and Greece. She lives in Minneapolis with her husband, Tim, and their family.



Foreword by Carmen Joy Imes

Introduction: Becoming an Innkeeper

Part 1: A Knock at the Door

1. The Innkeeper's Origin Story

2. Finding the First Aid Kit

3. Is that You, Jesus?

4. Changed by Love

Part 2: Hospitality that Heals

5. Community at the Core

6. Finding Hope on the Refugee Highway

7. Setting the Table for Healing

8. More than People in Need

Conclusion: The Global Society of Innkeepers

Appendix: Humanitarian Space: Your Inn is Part of a Village

Acknowledgements

Recommended Resources

About IAFR

Notes