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What is the ultimate purpose of pastoral ministry? What emphases and priorities should take precedence? In the day-to-day emphasis on various pastoral roles and pragmatic concerns, what can sometimes get lost is the theological foundation for understanding pastoral ministry. James Thompson is a New Testament scholar with a concern for relating biblical studies to practical ministry. Here he does a careful study of several of Paul's epistles in order to see what Paul's vision and purpose were for his own ministry. He finds that Paul's aim was an ethical transformation of the communities (not just individuals) with which he worked, so that they would live lives worthy of the gospel until Christ's return. Using this as a framework, Thompson offers suggestions for practical application to contemporary ministry.
Paul K. Bates has been a businessperson, a public servant, a teacher, a volunteer, a student, a pastor, a husband, a father, and a grandfather. Fifty years ago, he turned away from faith. Thirty years ago, he returned. This little book contains some of the lessons he learned in his career, and some of the areas of Scripture that he became deeply focused on in his faith journey. It is his hope that some of these anecdotes will start a conversation between the you and someone important to you.
For Others to Follow is a call for Spirit-led leadership guided by a grounded theory derived from a multi-layered analysis of rich, firsthand narratives given by respondents to a research questionnaire and reflected through four decades of experience. Taken together, the recommendations in this book underpin an ethos, a character of leadership that will invite others to follow and to emulate, while the leader herself grows and blooms.
If we are to touch the hearts of hurting children, we must enter their world, the world of play. Play therapy honors children by meeting them in their world. Children say with toys what they have difficulty saying with words. Toys become the play therapist's tools to help unlock the healing process for wounded children. Whether you are a psychologist, a social worker, a family therapist, a pastoral counselor, a group-home worker, or a children's ministry worker, this book will help you build relationships that minister to the souls of hurting children and bring understanding to the confusion of their pain. Through these nurturing relationships, children will be freed to understand and process emotional pain.
In Anton Boisen: Madness, Mysticism, and the Origins of Clinical Pastoral Education, Sean J. LaBat provides a critical re-assessment of Anton Boisen’s life and work. Based in thorough archival research, LaBat argues that Boisen, who suffered from intermittent severe mental illness, was a creative visionary, a mystic who re-imagined pastoral care and envisioned possibilities for the institutionalized other than shame and stigma. He shows how Boisen elucidated new possibilities in patient-centered health care, community care for the mentally ill, and reconciliation and dialogue between religion and science. Boisen explored the borderland of madness and mysticism, illness and inspiration, and practiced an interdisciplinary approach to his craft that is surprisingly modern and more relevant to the practice of medicine and the practice of religion than ever before.
God’s people need to hear “a word from the Lord,” to know their God is with them, and to transcend this world and be taken to the very feet of Jesus. The preacher is charged with assisting in this mission. While there may be different theological perspectives and different methods of sermon preparation and delivery, one thing remains constant—the need for quality preaching resources. Drawing upon the rich and powerful tradition of the black church, The Abingdon African American Preaching Library offers a wealth of thoughtful, biblically grounded preaching aids, including special days in the Black Church tradition. To read the Introduction to the book click here
This volume is a biblical theological critique of the Apostles' Creed and a development of the role of the Holy Spirit in the church, the world, and the personal experience of Christian faith. It addresses the creed as a historic document, an artifact of early Christian theological development, and a long-standing guide for the form and content of that faith tradition. This book is an appreciation of the Apostles' Creed in terms of its persistent pastoral effect in the church. It is also a criticism of aspects of the creed that are unbiblical and crafted for political or extraneous theological reasons by the bishops of the ancient ecumenical councils.
"One of the greatest contributions of Capps's book is the way in which he weaves together a vast range of theories, interpretations, and explanations of psychopathology, without ever losing sight of the humanity of the person living with mental illness. Far too many books seek to find one, single explanation of the baffling and complex phenomenon of mental illness. Fragile Connections will expand our understanding and empower pastors and others concerned about mental illness with an eloquent exploration of one of the greatest mysteries of the human predicament." --Lewis Rambo, San Francisco Theological Union and Graduate Theological Union "Donald Capps skillfully guides his readers into the ...
The Concise Dictionary of Pastoral Care and Counseling is a condensed version of the Dictionary of Pastoral Care and Counseling, first published in 1990, with new and updated articles. This book provides classic and key articles that explain current theories, trends, and practices in the field of Pastoral Care and Counseling. Contents include: Definitions; History and Biography; Issues of Power and Difference; Interfaith Issues and Methods; Clinical Method; and Pastoral Theological Method.