Charles W. Taylor, The Skilled Pastor. Augsburg Fortress, 1991. Referenced in: Pastoral Care From the Publisher The Skilled Pastor is a creative and practical training book that details the specific skills necessary for sound pastoral guidance in various situations. The author integrates theological reflection with practice, while incorporating religious resources with counseling technique. About the
E. Glenn Wagner, Escape from Church, Inc.: The Return of the Pastor-Shepherd, Zondervan, 1999. Referenced in: Pastoral Care LifeandLeadership.com Summary Wagner skillfully demonstrates the shift of churches away from the community model toward the corporate model, and the shift of ministerial roles from pastor to CEO. He suggests a revival in which pastors return to
Henri J. M. Nouwen, Can You Drink the Cup? Ave Maria Press, 2006. Referenced in: Pastoral Care LifeandLeadership.com Summary This is an excellent call to pastoral identification with those who experience life’s deepest pains and thus value life’s simplest joys. The book is divided into three parts of holding, lifting, and drinking the cup, drawing
Calvin Miller, O Shepherd, Where Art Thou? B and H Publishing Group, 2006. Referenced in: Pastoral Care LifeandLeadership.com Summary Written in the style of a humorous, convicting fable about Pastor Sam, who becomes frustrated that while he is giving quality pastoral care to the hurting individuals in his church, his colleagues at other churches are
David Hansen, The Art of Pastoring: Ministry Without All the Answers, Revised Edition. InterVarsity Press, 2012. Referenced in: Pastoral Care Small Church Leadership Strengthening and Renewing the Ministry Call LifeandLeadership.com Summary Eugene Peterson calls this the “freshest and most honest book on pastoral work you’re ever likely to come upon.” The book begins with a
Robert C. Dykstra, Images of Pastoral Care: Classic Readings. Christian Board of Publications, 2005. Referenced in: Pastoral Care LifeandLeadership.com Summary This is an excellent collection of articles from leading authors on the various ways of conceiving of pastoral care: living human document, solicitous shepherd, courageous shepherd, self-differentiated Samaritan, wounded healer, circus clown, wise fool, intimate
E. Brooks Holifield, A History of Pastoral Care in America: From Salvation to Self-Realization. Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2005. Referenced in: Pastoral Care LifeandLeadership.com Summary It is easy for ministers to simply inherit the ethos of their era on the pastoral role. Yet history reveals migrations from one tendency to another, with the people in
Randolph K. Sanders, Christian Counseling Ethics: A Handbook for Therapists, Pastors and Counselors. IVP Academic, 1997. Note: This listing is part of the site archive. While these materials may have some enduring value, it is strongly suggested that you use the reference link below for possible updates or click through to Amazon and allow their
Henri J. M. Nouwen, The Wounded Healer: Ministry in Contemporary Society. Image Publishers, 1979. Referenced in: Pastoral Theology Strengthening and Renewing the Ministry Call LifeandLeadership.com Summary This classic from the late Nenri Nouwen presents a hopeful model of ministry that compassionately identifies with the woundedness of human nature. This refers not only to the fallenness
Reinhold Niebuhr and Martin Marty, Leaves from the Notebook of a Tamed Cynic. Westminster / John Knox Press, 1991. Referenced in: Pastoral Theology Strengthening and Renewing the Ministry Call LifeandLeadership.com Summary This classic was first published eighty years ago, but it remains one of the most widely recommended books to help young ministers find meaning
