Pastoral ministers are faced with new questions and challenges every day, and answers aren't always easy to find. Canon law can provide the answers to some of the most complicated questions, but busy pastoral ministers don't always know where or how to find those answers. What's needed is a clear, concise, easy-to-use reference guide to church law, one that puts the answers right at your fingertips. A Concise Guide to Canon Law will do just that. This handy reference provides a compact overview of the most important canonical issues facing pastoral ministers today. Arranged by topic, it offers a thorough summary of church law--including such topics as the sacraments and church organization--and is complete with reference numbers to relevant canons in the Code of Canon Law. Helpful sections of "frequently asked questions and answers" at the end of the chapters make finding answers to the most often-asked questions even easier. With more and more lay people becoming involved with church administration, and with members of parishes and faith communities raising more complex and complicated questions, Understanding church law is vital and A Concise Guide to Canon Law makes it easy.