Howard W. Stone and James O. Duke, How to Think Theologically. Third Edition. Fortress Press, 2013. Referenced in: Pastoral Theology LifeandLeadership.com Summary This is a primer on “practical” theology that is not limited to the pastoral role, but covers a wide range of issues Christians encounter, equipping them to engage them theologically. It is not a
Anthony B. Robinson, What’s Theology Got to Do with It?: Convictions, Vitality, and the Church. Alban Institute, 2006. Referenced in: Pastoral Theology LifeandLeadership.com Summary This is a very popular book on “practical” theology among mainline Protestants. Even beyond those circles, Robinson popularized (though he did not introduce) terms such as “centered set” vs. “bounded set”
John Patton, James Woodward, and Stephen Pattison, Editors, The Blackwell Reader in Pastoral and Practical Theology (Blackwell Readings in Modern Theology). Wiley-Blackwell, 2000. Referenced in: Pastoral Theology LifeandLeadership.com Summary This is an excellent volume for those whose readings in both pastoral and practical theology create an appetite to understand the breadth of the field. It
Eugene Peterson, The Pastor: A Memoir. HarperOne, 2011. Referenced in: Pastoral Theology LifeandLeadership.com Summary Eugene Peterson’s volumes on pastoral theology are already legendary. This memoir is a culmination of decades of pastoral work, and is pastoral theology through autobiography. It follows several other works on the subject of pastoring: Five Smooth Stones for Pastoral Work
Eugene Peterson, The Contemplative Pastor: Returning to the Art of Spiritual Direction. Eerdmans, 1989. Referenced in: Pastoral Theology LifeandLeadership.com Summary This was the third of Eugene Peterson’s work on pastoral theology. It was preceded by Five Smooth Stones for Pastoral Work (1980) and Working the Angles (1987), and followed by Under the Unpredictable Plant (1992) and Pastor:
Peterson, Eugene. Five Smooth Stones for Pastoral Work. Eerdmans, 1980. Referenced in: Pastoral Theology LifeandLeadership.com Summary This was the first of Eugene Peterson’s work on pastoral theology. It was followed by Working the Angles (1987) The Contemplative Pastor (1989), Under the Unpredictable Plant (1992) and Pastor: A Memoir (2011). In his usual style, he begins
Eugene Peterson, Working the Angles: The Shape of Pastoral Integrity. Eerdmans, 1987. Referenced in: Pastoral Theology LifeandLeadership.com Summary This was the second of Eugene Peterson’s work on pastoral theology. It was preceded by Five Smooth Stones for Pastoral Work (1980), and followed by The Contemplative Pastor (1989), Under the Unpredictable Plant (1992), and Pastor: A Memoir (2011). This
Richard R. Osmer, Practical Theology: An Introduction. Eerdmans, 2008. Referenced in: Pastoral Theology LifeandLeadership.com Summary While the title says “practical theology,” it is more pastoral theology in the sense that is adopted by LifeandLeadership.com (reflective of the historic German Protestant tradition, cf. Woodward and Patton, The Blackwell Reader on Pastoral Theology). Not all would draw
Henri J. M. Nouwen, Creative Ministry. Image Books, 1971. Referenced in: Pastoral Theology LifeandLeadership.com Summary Though written over forty years ago, this remains one of the richest “pastoral” theologies. It reflects on how to engage five of the most common tasks of ministry as spiritual acts of laying down one’s life, and not strictly as
Timothy Laniak, Shepherds After My Own Heart: Pastoral Tradition and Leadership in the Bible. New Studies in Biblical Theology, Volume 20. IVP Academic, 2006. Companion volume (less academic version): While Shepherds Watch Their Flocks: Rediscovering Biblical Leadership Referenced in: Plural-Elder Congregational Leadership Pastoral Theology Shepherd Leadership LifeandLeadership.com Summary These are two separate texts, one that
