John Killinger, The Tender Shepherd. Abingdon, 1985.
Referenced in: Pastoral Care
LifeandLeadership.com Summary
An older volume, but still one of the most practical texts in helping ministers become a pastoral presence in their congregations. If you have known of ministers who send letters to church members on their birthdays or baptismal anniversaries, or to widows at Christmas-time. If you have ever heard of a “State of the Church Letter,” new member dinners, six-month check-ups, sending thank-yous to little children who give you Sunday School drawings, organizing “guess-who’s-coming-to-dinner” meetings, “We’re glad you’re home” visits after being dismissed from the hospital, personalizing weddings and funerals, etc., they probably got the idea from Killinger’s Tender Shepherd or from someone else who got it from Killinger. I do not know of a more creative and practical guide on pastoral how-tos. If Killinger does not give a workable idea on how to have meaningful pastoral contact with everyone in your church on a regular basis, what he mentions will spark your creativity to devise your own ways. No preacher should be without this volume. It is out of print, but still to be found.
About the Author
John Killinger is a widely known, highly respected writer and speaker. Ordained as a Baptist minister, he has held 8 pastorates, including the First Presbyterian Church of Lynchburg, Virginia, and the First Congregational Church of Los Angeles. His last appointment was as Executive Minister and Theologian at famous Marble Collegiate Church in New York City. Killinger is often described as a preacher s preacher and a poet of the Gospel as he speaks to ministers and laity alike with the passion and insight of a lifetime in Christian work.
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