The Price of Pastoral Care and Dealing with the Vision for the Church


Book Description

People from various walks of life will accept the call to pastor a church without any idea about how to be a pastor, the responsibilities of a pastor, and what to do with the vision that God has given them for the church. In his book, the author, who has served as a pastor for over 22 years, provides a Biblical perspective of what the pastor needs to know and the price that must be paid when accepting the call to lead God's people. Several critical areas of pastorship are addressed, including the price of pastoring; the price of pastoring those with whom we disagree, the price of pastoring the brokenhearted; the price of pastoring those who are stumbling blocks and hindrances to the forward moving of the ministry; the privileges and rewards of pastoring; what to do with the vision that God has given for the church; and extending the vision to the community. This is a timely and valuable resource and should be a part of every pastor's and pastoral student's library. Rev. Dr. Sinclair L. Thorne has served as the pastor of First Calvary Missionary Baptist Church in Hinesville, Georgia for over 22 years. He is a graduate of ITC Theological Seminary Extension Course, Morehouse School of Religion, and has a Master of Divinity and a Doctorate of Religion in Pastoral Care from the New Life Bible Community School of Ministry and Bible Institute of Chapel Hill, North Carolina. He retired from the U.S. Army as First Sergeant of Charlie Company, 24th Support Battalion in 1992, after returning from the Gulf War. He is the former President of the Ministerial Alliance of Liberty County, Dean and Assistant Program Coordinator for the Tattnall Baptist Association, and President of the First District of the Georgia Missionary Baptist Convention.




Effective Pastoring


Book Description

"A great deal of confusion exists today as to what pastors are to be," Lawrence writes. "Are they chaplains, CEO's, preachers, managers, or counselors? Paul gave us the answer long ago: They are to be equippers, disciple-makers." Just as the great artist Michelangelo took a chipped and flawed piece of marble and transformed it into a masterful sculpture of David, so does a pastor with his flock. "This is pastoring", writes Lawrence, "serving as sculptors of souls."




Calvin's Company of Pastors


Book Description

In Calvin's Company of Pastors, Scott Manetsch examines the pastoral theology and practical ministry activities of Geneva's reformed ministers from the time of Calvin's arrival in Geneva until the beginning of the seventeenth century. During these seven decades, more than 130 men were enrolled in Geneva's Venerable Company of Pastors (as it was called), including notable reformed leaders such as Pierre Viret, Theodore Beza, Simon Goulart, Lambert Daneau, and Jean Diodati. Aside from these better-known epigones, Geneva's pastors from this period remain hidden from view, cloaked in Calvin's long shadow, even though they played a strategic role in preserving and reshaping Calvin's pastoral legacy. Making extensive use of archival materials, published sermons, catechisms, prayer books, personal correspondence, and theological writings, Manetsch offers an engaging and vivid portrait of pastoral life in sixteenth- and early seventeenth-century Geneva, exploring the manner in which Geneva's ministers conceived of their pastoral office and performed their daily responsibilities of preaching, public worship, moral discipline, catechesis, administering the sacraments, and pastoral care. Manetsch demonstrates that Calvin and his colleagues were much more than ivory tower theologians or "quasi-agents of the state," concerned primarily with dispensing theological information to their congregations or enforcing magisterial authority. Rather, they saw themselves as spiritual shepherds of Christ's Church, and this self-understanding shaped to a significant degree their daily work as pastors and preachers.




Pastoral Ministry according to Paul


Book Description

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.




A Vision for Preaching


Book Description

This book by a well-respected teacher of preachers develops an integrated biblical and theological vision for preaching that addresses the essentials of this most important activity in the church. Drawing on influential voices from church history, Abraham Kuruvilla reclaims what has been lost through the centuries and offers fresh insights, showing preachers what they can aim for as an ideal in their preaching. He helps preachers have a better conception of what it means to preach, a fuller understanding of the divinely granted privilege of preaching, and a greater excitement for the preaching ministry. Concluding biblical reflections reinforce the teaching of each chapter.




Developing a Vision for Ministry


Book Description

Strong leaders have vision that is both far-reaching and focused on the details. Having that vision is what separates the church with a hodge-podge of ineffective programs and activities from churches that reach people effectively, efficiently, and consistently with the Good News. Now in its third edition, this groundbreaking book continues to offer church planters, pastors, and ministry leaders concrete help with crafting vision statements, encouraging buy-in from the influencers in the church, turning up the energy level, and ultimately growing the church.




A Vision for the Aging Church


Book Description

James M. Houston and Michael Parker believe now is the time for the church to offer ministry to its increasing numbers of seniors and to benefit from ministry they can offer. They issue an urgent call to reconceive the place and part of the elderly in the local congregation, showing that seniors aren't the problem--they are the solution.




Ecclesiology


Book Description

Ecclesiology: The Church as Communion and Mission presents the basic information needed to have a clear understanding of nature of the Church.Catholic Basics: A Pastoral Series that offers an in-depth yet accessible understanding of the fundamentals of the Catholic faith for adults, both those active in pastoral ministry and those preparing for ministry. The series helps readers explore the Catholic tradition and apply what they have learned to their lives and ministry situations. Includes study questions and suggestions for further reading.




Ministry by the Book


Book Description

Focusing on pastoral leadership within local churches or groups of churches, Derek Tidball provides a comprehensive survey of the variety of ministry models and patterns found in the New Testament with applications for today's ministry.




Emboldened


Book Description

Women are central to the mission of God. Pastor Tara Beth Leach issues a stirring call for a new generation of women in ministry: to teach, to preach, to shepherd, and to lead. Providing practical advice and encouragement, Leach shows how God not only permits women to minister—he emboldens, empowers, and unleashes them to lead out of the fullness of who they are.