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In What to Expect in Seminary, Virginia Samuel Cetuk looks at the various facets of theological education - the call to ministry, classroom learning, community life, field education, financial realities, time management challenges - through the lens of spiritual formation. In each chapter she challenges the reader to view the particular topic as an avenue to spiritual growth rather than an obstacle. Offering the reader the conceptual tool of reframing, she draws upon psychology, scripture, and her many years of experience in theological education to help the reader see both the challenges and the rich opportunities of theological education related to ministry and spiritual formation.

It is possible, contends C. David Grant, to be a Christian and take modern and postmodern thought seriously. In the first half of his book, Grant explores three major intellectual revolutions of the past two centuries that fundamentally changed the way we think: the emergence of historical consciousness, the discovery of the evolutionary character of the natural world, and the postmodern recognition of diversity and pluralism. Suggesting that these revolutions set the context for all our thinking today, Grant turns in the second half of the book to suggest how they can be integrated into a viable contemporary faith by exploring their impact on Christians' thinking about the Bible, Jesus Christ, and God. He argues that we must accept the human origins of the Bible, the limitations of our historical knowledge about Jesus, and the conceptual character of all our talk about God. Within these parameters, the author sets forth a positive case for a constructive liberal theology, arguing that such an approach is both viable and vital for many contemporary Christians who seek intellectual integrity in their faith. By thinking through the concepts, ideas, and images we use in our faith, we actually come to appreciate and see God's grace as that fundamental mystery that lies at the horizons of our thought and experience.

"With generative wisdom, Gerkin moves beyond the predominance of the psychotherapeutic paradigm in pastoral care to a dynamic, interactive process which balances faith, culture, community, and individual well-being. . . . Gerkin's history of pastoral care is skillful. . . . His analysis of the current transitions in the field of care will make this book a classic."--Jeanne Stevenson Moessner, Columbia Theological Seminary, Decatur, and the Georgia Association for Pastoral Care "Out of the abundance of his many years as a pastoral caregiver and theologian, Gerkin introduces readers to the history, theory, and practice of pastoral care. This book represents the best of Protestant liberal pastoral theology and fills a long-standing gap. . . . The narrative-hermeneutical paradigm which Gerkin offers holds and works with many of the complexities of pastoral care in postmodern times."--Carrie Doehring, School of Theology, Boston University "Gerkin's Introduction to Pastoral Care breaks new ground for an introductory text in its emphasis on care as 'the central metaphor of life in the Christian community.' Thus the scope is much larger than the more usual focus only on individual and family needs. He is deeply sensitive to both individual and community dimensions through his quadrilateral nexus of tradition, individuals and family, community, and cultural context."--James N. Lapsley, Princeton Theological Seminary "The formula appears simple: take the very best of pastoral care theory and research of the past, build upon it the best of contemporary literature and practice in the pastoral arts and sciences, season it with rich experiences of a pioneer in the pastoral care, counseling, and education movement, and you have a solid bridge to the 21st century. Gerkin has proven the formula. . . . [Gerkin] articulates a pastoral care for the 21st century."--Orlo C. Strunk, Jr., Pastoral Psychotherapist at The Coastal Samaritan Center, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

Grounded in social research, Rural Ministry evaluates the diminishing establishment of the church in rural America, which is linked to the fifty-year-old crisis in rural ministry. It names the primary issues for leaders of Protestant and Catholic churches to ponder: the graying of the population; the closing of schools, hospitals, and factories; and the corporate buyout of farms during the 1980s. In addition to retelling the history of this crisis, Shannon Jung and the other contributors to this volume offer a set of Christian principles that respond to social problems in rural life. The situation is so intense that the book offers examples from around the heartland of cooperative or collaborative parishes that blend denominational and theological differences across the Protestant and Catholic spectrum. Key Benefits: Offers a vision of nationwide renewal in rural America; Advocates true ecumenical solutions to issues confronting the rural church in America; Sidebars feature examples and illustrations; Informs new rural ministers of the culture and issues about to confront them, allowing them to better handle the challenges and opportunities of the rural environment; Motivates congregations to activate ministries in new and provocative ways, insuring the spread of the gospel; Can help troubled churches survive.

The sixth book in Abingdon's series of how-to books for church musicians desiring further training, How Does Your Choir Grow? treats the subject of recruiting and maintaining choir members, a key task in the role of church music leadership. The area of choir recruiting is a time-cosuming, often frustrating task, particularly in light of the many other aspects of the job. Designed to help directors develop a concrete plan for growth, this book deals with choir recruitment at all age levels. David Donathan has written an easy-to-read, easy-to-understand treatment of concern faced by all choir directors in their ongoing ministry. Any choir director, no matter the number of years of their leadership, will find this book to be a valuable resources. * Helps choir directors develop an organized program of recruitment * Contains practical, useful information on getting and keeping choir members * Written in an easy-to-read, easy to understand style * Written by someone who has conducted numerous workshops in this area

"This study explores the meaning of justification in the framework of Latin American theology of liberation, which is a particular way of doing theology welcomed by both Catholics and Protestants. In this theology, the poor, 'oppressed and believing, ' constitute the privileged locus of theology. That is to say, theology is done from their reality of oppression-liberation and their experience of God. Every great theological theme, every biblical reading, must be reexamined from that angle of vision." (from the Introduction, by Elsa Tamez)

A collection of worship services for various special days celebrated in most African American churches. Programs provide an introduction tying the African American heritage to the occasion, with a welcome address, prayer, litany, Scripture, and suggested parament colors. Includes graduation/promotion, homecoming, Mother/Father's Days, groundbreaking and cornerstone services, mortgage-burning, Black History celebration, and others.

In this volume, Richard J. Clifford seeks to make the biblical wisdom literature intelligible to modern readers. It is easy to quote the occasional proverb, say a few things about "the problem of evil" in Job, or quote "vanity of vanities", but far more rewarding to read the whole book with an appreciative and informed eye. Opening chapters of The Wisdom Literature comment on the striking similarities between ancient and modern "wisdom literature" and on the comparable literature from ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Canaan. Thereafter, a chapter is devoted to each biblical book (Proverbs, Job, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, Sirach, and Wisdom of Solomon), studying not only its content but also its rhetoric - how it engages the reader.

Divided into four sections, this volume is ideal for children's ministry, children's church, and childcare programs, and features ready-to-use games for infants from birth to 23 months, ages 2-3 years, and both younger and older preschoolers.

Spiritual Entrepreneurs tells the story of an innovative pastor and leadership team who intentionally led their church to take spiritual risks. By using six principles, renewal can come to any church. These six principles are focus on: (1) Jesus Christ, (2) the Bible, (3) new forms of worship, (4) a commitment to membership, (5) equipping lay people for ministry, and (6) spiritual leadership. Slaughter belives that church leaders are inspired to work tirelessly when they hear or learn of good-news stories. He also believes that covenants, Christianity training, and an innovative small-group structure are vital in producing high-commitment members.

Those Christians who work in missionary settings among non-Christians learned an important lesson long ago about communicating the gospel. You can build the church, ring the bell, and hope that folks will find their way to your doorstep. Or you can immerse yourself in the culture, build relationships, and minister to people where they are. It is the latter route that bears the greatest fruit, and the greatest similarity to Jesus' own practice of ministry. As churches in North America seek to grow and minister more effectively, they would do well to remember that they, too, are living in an increasingly non-Christian culture. The churches that will succeed in reaching out to the unchurched in this society are those that have learned how to encounter such people in their own territory. Kent Hunter tells the stories of churches where this kind of outreach has become the norm. More importantly, he also provides other churches the tools they need to identify the particular opportunities their context presents, and ways to take advantage of those opportunities to present the gospel to those most in need of it.