| Accessories By Manufacturer | |
|
|
Email Newsletter
Get info on Sales, Events, New Products, and More!
|
|
|
|
|
| Pastor: The Theology and Practice of Ordained Ministry | 
 enlarge | Author: William H. Willimon
Publisher: Abingdon Press
Category: Book
List Price: $27.50
Buy New: $16.44
You Save: $11.06 (40%)
New (19) Used (11) from $12.00
Avg. Customer Rating:  13 reviews
Sales Rank: 227304
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 386
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.9
ISBN: 0687045320
Dewey Decimal Number: 253
EAN: 9780687045327
ASIN: 0687045320
Publication Date: January 2002
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Paperback, minor shelf wear. Ships promptly w/notification emailed after shipping.
|
| Similar Items:
|
| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Ordained ministry, says Willimon, is a gift of God to the church--but that doesn't mean that it is easy. Always a difficult vocation, changes in society and the church in recent years have made the ordained life all the more complex and challenging. Is the pastor primarily a preacher, a professional caregiver, an administrator? Given the call of all Christians to be ministers to the world, what is the distinctive ministry of the ordained? When does one's ministry take on the character of prophet, and when does it become that of priest? What are the special ethical obligations and disciplines of the ordained? In this book, Willimon explores these and other central questions about the vocation of ordained ministry. He begins with a discussion of who pastors are, asking about the theological underpinnings of ordained ministry, and then moves on to what pastors do, looking at the distinctive roles the pastor must fulfill. The book also draws on great teachers of the! Christian tradition to demonstrate that, while much about Christian ministry has changed, its core concerns--preaching the word, the care of souls, the sacramental life of congregations--remains the same. Ordained ministry is a vocation to which we are called, not a profession that we choose. To answer that call is to open oneself to heartache and sometimes hardship; yet, given the one who calls, it is to make oneself available to deep and profound joy as well.
|
| Customer Reviews: Read 8 more reviews...
Comprehensive, insightful but verbose November 14, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Reading this book is like having a very long conversation with one of the premier pastor of pastors in the United States. Will Willimon has a Ph.D. in theology, was the Dean of the Chapel at Duke University for many years, and is now a Bishop in the United Methodist Church. He has written many books and has written regularly for both Christian Century and Christianity Today's Leadership Journal. He is worth listening to.
Seminary students might want to read the book cover to cover to get 336 pages of reflection and insight into pastoral ministry. They will invariably gain a greater grasp of the types of dilemmas pastors face and some ways of reflecting on those issues. Others will want to have this book on their shelf--to consult when the issue of ordination, pastoral care, and preaching comes up; they can then turn to the relevant chapter and enrich the discussion. While reflecting on contemporary issues in the church, Willimon does significant exegetical work in the New Testament as well as drawing upon Augustine, Luther, Calvin and Wesley.
As both Christopher S. Royer and S. A. Garno note in their reviews: the book is comprehensive in its reflections but is a bit difficult to read because it is so verbose and convoluted. Still, there are insights on every page--each person who reads it will grow in their understanding of pastoring.
A must read October 9, 2008
If one wants to know "why am I in this mess" of ordained ministry, this is a must read.
 Richard Baxter Rehash March 13, 2006
7 out of 21 found this review helpful
It is a sad reflection of the church in the 21st century that a book like this could be published by a church leader. Willimon reveals himself as stuck in a Christendom institutional view of the church in which the ecclesiastical equivalent of the one man band hogs the limelight whatever passing condiscension he makes about giving ministry to the "laity."
Just look at Willimon's chapter headings
"Pastor as Priest, Pastor as interpeter of scripture, pastor as pastor, pastor as preacher, pastor as counselor, pastor as teacher, pastor as evangelist, pastor as prophet, pastor as leader, pastor as character, pastor as disciplined Christian."
After reading that list, I wanted to add another one, PASTOR AS SUPERMAN, because you would need to be to do all that! Willimon's list is a far cry from the NT picture of the Body of Christ. I wanted to ask Willimon, why can't a pastor be a pastor, and a prophet a prophet, and an evangelist an evangelist? Why does the pastor have to do it all. Of course the answer is, they are ORDAINED. Willimon has a "high view" of the ordained ministry and so what ever he says, functionally the rest of the people of God come off badly in this instiutional understanding of the church where ministry is basically the perogative of the professional christian. Willimon's perspective on ministry sets up a bad codependent relationship in the church where one group of Christians (the clergy) assume responsibility for ministry that is not theirs and most of the rest of the people of God abdicate responsibility for ministry that should be their's!
The truth is that this book is basically a rehash of Richard Baxter's "The Reformed Pastor" written by an English puritan a couple of hundred years ago. I believe this view of ministry that Willimon is perpetuating is a major obstacle in the church regaining her missional nature.It is perhaps not an unconnected fact that Willimon is a Methodist Bishop, one of the fastest declining denominations in the States, and with this understanding of ministry in the church I can see why!
Do yourself a favour, buy Paul R Stevens "The Abolition of the Laity" (also published as "The Other Six Days") instead, it has a far better theology and model of ministry than you will find in this book.
From a Deep Well February 17, 2006
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
I was introduced to William Willimon through his sermons. He is a genius preacher and a prolific writer, having published hundreds of sermons and dozens of books. The insights in Pastor are the fruit of a life long lived in God's service. It is not easy being a pastor amidst the cultural mega-shifts underway. Many of us find ourselves in the throws of a vocational identity crisis. What in the world are pastors to give themselves to? Are they primarily preachers, Chief Executive Officers, ones who empower the laity, counsellors in the clinical vane or spiritual directors in the Catholic tradition? Drawing from a deep well of theological and historical insight, as well as years of pastoral experience, Willimon tackles these and other questions arranged in thirteen well-crafted chapters covering the full spectrum of pastoral theology.
Pastor balances theory and practice, and is full of real-life examples from Willimon's own experience. One example is the way he comes against the individualist spirit of North American Christianity, and calls for pastors to see themselves as participants with all of God's people in transformative communities of faith and not merely as religious managers. I only wish that I had this resource twenty years ago.
A Job Description for Pastors February 1, 2006
5 out of 6 found this review helpful
William H. Willimon's comprehensive and insightful, Pastor: The Theology and Practice of Ordained Ministry, should be read by all entering or currently working in ordained ministry. Willimon examines the multi-faceted roles of the ordained pastor-worship leader, care giver, interpreter of Scripture, servant, counselor, teacher, evangelist, and prophet-through the lenses of Scripture, Christian history, and post-modern American culture. Although Willimon's elucidation of pastoral ministry is verbose, and at times convoluted, seminarians will nevertheless benefit from gaining a deeper understanding of the nature of pastoral work. Both novel and seasoned pastors will also benefit from this book and find subsequent occasion to use it as a periodic reference to check the content, focus, and health of their ministry.
Willimon begins his book with a persuasive apology for the rationale of ordained ministry based on Hippolytus' ordination liturgy. Willimon's organizes each successive chapter around the aforementioned images of the pastor and disperses six interludes throughout these chapters, addressing issues highly pertinent to ministry such as "The Wonderful Thickness of the Text", "Sin in Christian Ministry", and "Failure in Christian Ministry".
Pastor: The Theology and Practice of Ordained Ministry is not light, leisurely reading. Indeed, if Willimon had condensed his content and reduced his illustrations, his book would have possessed more force and clarity. In addition, on a few occasions Willimon's book discouraged me because of the enormous burdens and responsibilities that fall upon ordained ministers. Yet, Willimon consistently interjects anecdotes and reassurances of God's grace and presence. In the end, it's better to be realistic about the harsh realities of pastoral ministry than naive and starry-eyed.
Thus, because of Willimon's realistic and comprehensive treatment of ordained pastoral ministry-both in terms of a minister's role and in terms of how Scripture, church history, and post-modern America perceive the minister's role-I highly recommend this book.
|
|
|
Site by: Troy Peterson | |
