The Art of Pastoring: Ministry Without All the Answers

by Hansen, David

• ISBN13: 9780830816699
• ISBN10: 0830816690
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1994-05-01
• Publisher: Intervarsity Pr

Summary

Named one of the Top Ten Books of 1994 by the Academy of Parish Clergy!What should a pastor do?What makes a pastor good or effective?Whatisa pastor, after all?Hundreds of books, tapes, workshops and seminars promise to answer these impossible questions. Some offer a set of practical guidelines; others suggest a system or pattern to follow. Some stress various ministry functions; others feature case studies as models of success or failure. Some are helpful. Others are not. But inThe Art of Pastoring,David Hansen turns pastoral self-help programs on their heads. He tackles the perennial questions from within his own experience.From the Inside OutHansen's fresh, bold narrative grows from nearly a decade of ministry. He draws you into his life and into the lives of Florence-Victor Parish in the mountains of Montana, including unforgettable encounters with unforgettable people--a stubborn pioneer woman who still chops her own firewood though she's blind and 90 years old, a championship rodeo cowboy who was baptized in his boots, and many more.Hansen's goal is to help you discover "that pastoral ministry is a life, not a technology . . . [that] life as a pastor is far more than the sum of the tasks I carry out. It is a call from God that involves my whole life."From Calling to Living ParableEvery pastor has encountered those who struggle to hear God's voice in a hospital room, who reach for Jesus in the sacraments. No systematic answers can meet their deep, eternal needs. What can touch them, Hansen contends, is a life itself, a life lived as a parable of Jesus. "As a parable of Jesus Christ," Hansen writes, "I deliver something to the parishioner that I am not, and in the process I deliver the parishioner into the hands of God."It is this knack for getting to the heart of things that makesThe Art of Pastoringvaluable for pastors in any setting--rural, suburban or urban. Parachurch workers, missionaries, church leaders and ministry volunteers will also find inspiration here.Even if you haven't yet been involved in full-time ministry, Hansen's book will be eye-opening. You'll see your own pastor differently as a result. And you'll discover how you too can be a living parable of Jesus Christ in the lives of your family, coworkers, friends and neighbors.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	6	(3)
An Ebenezer Story: Introduction	9	(6)
Beginning	15	(14)
Call	29	(13)
The Holy Spirit	42	(18)
Temptation	60	(17)
Eschatology	77	(14)
Preaching	91	(12)
Prayer	103	(14)
Friendship	117	(17)
Sacrament	134	(12)
Leadership	146	(18)
Leaving	164	(9)
Reward	173	(6)
Notes	179