The Art of Pastoring

- 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?
What is a 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 arehelpful. Others are not. But in The 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, boldnarrative 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 makes The Art of Pastoring valuable 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.