Tucked away in a strip mall, (Rob) Silva and his colleagues are the new missionaries of the flesh. With images of (Jesus) Christ, crucifixes and banners that blaze "BORN AGAIN," the tattoo artists at Sid's proclaim their faith in permanent ink. Under the counter, a dogeared Bible lies on a shelf next to bottles of alcohol and jars filled with ink caps and razors.

Call it a ministry or a moneymaker. Either way, it's coming of age. Christian tattoo parlors across the country banded together this fall to form the Christian Tattoo Assn., a consortium of 100 tattoo parlors that vow to push Christianity by using it as a "witnessing tool" to incite curiosity and, they hope, to convert some nonbelievers.

"Our goal is to share Jesus with people while they're getting a tattoo," said Daniel Ostrowski, one of the tattoo association's founders, who runs a Christian tattoo parlor in rural Wisconsin. "We're marked for life for Christ."