Pastoring is tough. The challenges are many, expectations are high, and tasks are wide ranging. What's more, pastoring demands a sound theology on which to base everything a pastor does.
Pastoral Practices is a guide to help pastors draw on the insights of Wesleyan theology and incorporate them into their ministries. Whatever the task may be--preaching, discipling, evangelizing, or administrating--this book will shed light on the way Wesleyan theology refines, informs, and enhances the theories and methods of each pastoral practice.
Combining their in-depth scholarship, practical experience, and profound understanding into this accessible and useful resource, the contributing writers demonstrate the value and effectiveness of pastoring the Wesleyan way. Not only will pastors and their associates find this book a worthwhile asset, but lay leaders, small-group facilitators, and others doing ministry in the church will also benefit from its invaluable insight and well-reasoned advice.
Mark A. Maddix is professor of Christian Education and dean of the School of Theology and Christian Ministries at Northwest Nazarene University. He is the author of Discovering Discipleship and Spiritual Formation: A Wesleyan Paradigm. He has published several articles in Christian Education Journal and Wesleyan Theological Journal. Mark is a frequent speaker on topics of Christian education, spiritual formation, and online education.
Diane Cunningham Leclerc, PhD, is a professor at Northwest Nazarene University, where she also serves as director of the Graduate School of Theology. She has written numerous articles and several books, including Discovering Christian Holiness: The Heart of Wesleyan-Holiness Theology and most recently co-authoring The Back Side of the Cross: An Atonement Theology for the Abused and Abandoned. Leclerc has been the lead pastor of two congregations and has been associate pastor at Nampa College Church of the Nazarene for several years. She is a past president of the Wesleyan Theological Society and a participant in the Dialogue on Race and Faith—a funded, multi-year project of racially diverse theologians and historians.
