Resources

Becoming a Pastor: Reflections on the Transition into Ministry (Report)
James P. Wind, David J. Wood, Authors. Herndon, VA: Alban Institute, 2008.

An initiative of Lilly Endowment Inc., and involving the participation of more than 800 new pastors, Transition into Ministry (TiM) helps recent seminary graduates prepare for pastorates by immersing them in communities of practice that include the guidance and feedback of senior pastors, peer pastors, and lay groups. Becoming a Pastor examines the cultural contexts from which TiM programs were conceived, reports on the experiences of those who have participated in residency-based and peer-based TiM programs, explains the importance of "reflective immersion" in congregational and pastoral life, summarizes key discoveries surrounding pastoral formation, and poses challenges for those who seek to deepen and expand this transitional work.


Educating Clergy: Teaching Practices and Pastoral Imagination (Book)
Charles R. Foster, Lisa Dahill, Larry Golemon, Barbara Wang Tolentino, Authors. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2005.

This text reports the authors' findings on how Protestant, Catholic, and Jewish seminaries prepare clergy to fulfill their roles and responsibilities. A key premise of the book is that "a primary task of seminary education is cultivating the pastoral, priestly, or rabbinic imagination necessary for clergy to embrace this multifaceted and public work" and that "seminaries … are the primary setting for the intentional, disciplined, and sustained cultivation of [this] imaginal capacity." The authors examine diverse seminary teaching approaches, four pedagogies in clergy education, students' communal learning experiences, the influence of tradition, and the cultivation of spiritual practices among seminarians. Future formation of clergy is also discussed.


For Life Abundant: Practical Theology, Theological Education, and Christian Ministry (Book)
Dorothy C. Bass, Craig Dykstra, Editors. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Publishing, 2008.

Dorothy Bass and Craig Dykstra draw together the voices of pastors, seminary professors, and practical theologians to address how Christ's abundant life may be embodied within congregations and for the sake of the world. The authors ask what shapes are given to a way of life that is truly life-giving; how people in congregations can support one another in fostering this way of life; how pastors can collaborate with and support each other in their ministries; and how theological education can encourage the development of pastoral imagination and leadership. Throughout the book is the conviction that "Christian life and ministry belong first and last not to us but to God."


Growing in the Life of Faith: Education and Christian Practices (Second Edition) (Book)
Craig Dykstra, Author. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2005.

Believing that "education in faith presupposes and depends on people's experience of the Mystery of God," Craig Dykstra has written this second edition of Growing in the Life of Faith to provide a foundation for developing faithful and faith-filled Christian education. The author holds that education in faith should be an investigative process guiding the explorations of our experience of God; a critical process freeing us from patterns of thinking and living that diminish such experience; and a caring process enabling us to invite others into this experience. As we engage in these processes, we are called into community and into life-giving practices that deepen our faith.


Leadership in Congregations (Book)
Richard Bass, Editor. Herndon, VA: Alban Institute, 2006.

Richard Bass, Director of Publishing at the Alban Institute, has gathered together some of Congregations magazine's most thought-provoking articles on leadership. Featured here are insights on pastoring a small congregation, leading when consensus fails, serving as a woman pastor, assessing leadership skills, empowering laity, encountering God's presence, and more. These insights are illustrated with stories grounded in the authors' experiences as leaders. Featured also is the Alban Institute's special report, "The Leadership Situation Facing American Congregations," which examines current leadership challenges in congregations—including the needs for new environments by which clergy can learn and connect, new learning processes for all congregational leaders, and new approaches to recruiting future leaders.


Resurrecting Excellence: Shaping Faithful Christian Ministry (Book)
L. Gregory Jones, Kevin R. Armstrong, Authors. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Publishing, 2006.

Theology professor Gregory Jones and United Methodist pastor Kevin Armstrong examine such issues as power, office, call, professionalism, collegiality, ordination, pastoral imagination, and other topics related to ministerial excellence. Through the stories and testimonies they relate, they demonstrate that there is no "one-size-fits-all" form of excellence. Instead, the authors show that excellence emerges in the partnership between pastor and congregation. Ultimately, they believe, pastoring is about discipleship and faithfulness; while skill development and academic education have their place, at the heart of the pastoral vocation is "a life well lived, a life of creativity, intellectual engagement, and imagination, a life that asks the best of us."


Sustaining Pastoral Excellence (Web Resource)

A project of Lilly Endowment Inc., and based in the Leadership Education Program of Duke University, Sustaining Pastoral Excellence (SPE) helps ministers "create environments for ongoing biblical study, theological reflection and spiritual renewal, and develop sustained friendships and opportunities for mutual support." Its website features numerous articles from religious scholars and practitioners that address topics of interest to pastors across denominations. W. Craig Gilliam discusses conflict resolution; Michael Jenkins explores healthy leadership; John Witvliet examines pastoral excellence and Christian worship; Kevin Armstrong offers resources for Sabbath-keeping. In January 2009 SPE also launched the Faith and Leadership website, which offers a more dynamic and interactive collection of resources.