Relating theology to the practice of ministry is one of the most elusive goals in pastoral training. Drawing upon seventeen years of experience in theology, Doctor Kinast describes a step-by-step approach to help students and experienced ministers learn what their ministry teaches. Through examples, practical suggestions, and principles grounded in process theology, readers of Let Ministry Teach explore the full range of resources needed for meaningful theological reflection. Let Ministry Teach strikes a clear balance between a very broad and detailed presentation of a theological reflection method so that it is neither too simplistic nor too hard to handle. Each chapter describes a fundamental step in the method with the help of an illustration and commentary. Chapters conclude with a list of practical suggestions and a short description of the theoretical background and its main points. The challenge of theological reflection is to keep theology in the authentic experience of God's presence in our midst. Let Ministry Teach places this reflection in context: in a small group - where it works best; as a meaningful experience - one that has an impact, and initiates discussion; as a faith-theological perspective reflecting on experience from many points of view; as a practical outcome where a person is in a better position to guide events according to one's beliefs; and as a continuous process - a skill which must be practiced. In Let Ministry Teach, Doctor Kinast develops a successful way of doing theological reflection, which includes: selecting an experience - focusing on the meaningful moments; describing an experience - making it available for reflection; entering an experience - learning what it has to teach; learning from an experience - grasping what it teaches by relating it to what a person already knows and what the experience suggests is yet to be learned, and enacting the learning - incorporating the learning into a pattern of living and theological reflection. The true basis of theological reflection - a full, deep, meaningful embrace of life - is learned from one's own experience. Respectful of the full range of theological resources available for reflection, and mindful of the primary goal of recognizing God's presence and responding to it, theological reflection weaves experience and theology together into a way of life that continues the journey begun when Jesus first appeared. Let Ministry Teach is offered as a companion for those on that journey. Robert L. Kinast, a pastoral theologian, specializes in the field of theological reflection. Through the publications and services of the Center for Theological Reflection, Indian Rocks Beach, Florida, he contributes to the ministry training programs of many denominations in the United States and Canada. He is the author of the Vatican II: Act II series and Mirror Meditations: Praying with the Images of Vatican II, published by Liturgical Press.

Shares uplifting advice about the virtues of forgiveness, offering strategic and biblically based advice on how to achieve peace and personal fulfillment by letting go of past wrongs.

The second edition of The Teaching Ministry of the Church makes a major overhaul of its predecessor, increasing the content from eighteen to twentythree chapters and contributors from six to thirteen. These writers assert the need for such an expanded update is due to our everchanging world. For example, the rise of Islamic fundamentalism, proliferation of religious sects, and secularization of our culture greatly increase the importance of ensuring the church produces fully developed, biblically informed followers of Jesus. To that end, The Teaching Ministry of the Church presents a full overview of Christian education in four major sections: Theological Foundations, Biblical Foundations, Preparation for Teaching, and Structuring the Teaching Ministry of the Church. Within this framework, a step-by-step plan for establishing and maintaining an effective teaching ministry among preschoolers, children, youth, and adults takes shape. Key chapters: “The Bible as Curriculum,” “The Church’s Role in Teaching,” “Creating an Unforgettable Learning Experience,” and “Equipping Teachers.”

Written as a textbook for courses on teaching at the college and seminary level, Called to Teach actually reaches out to a much wider audience. Those considering a teaching career, homeschoolers and parents will gain valuable insight and knowledge from Yount's latest book.

In churches today, there are ever fewer older pastors speaking into the lives of younger leaders, and fewer younger leaders feeling there is much to be learned from the experience of their elders. Street-smart wisdom is gone from training as there are many men and women preparing pastors who have never themselves pastored a church. Intriguingly, even older, more seasoned pastors yearn for insight into their task, as they remain "undiscipled" in the school of leadership. In What They Didn't Teach You in Seminary, veteran pastor James Emery White provides the kind of mentoring young pastors desperately need but cannot get from academia or leadership books. These "from the trenches" insights will help them transform their relationships with staff and parishoners, develop healthy boundaries, deliver hard truths, avoid spiritual pitfalls, use their time effectively, and much more.

In this valuable philosophy of Christian education for theologians, James Smart offers an excellent evaluation and redefinition of the goals of teaching ministry. Important topics addressed in this book include how to use the Bible in curriculum development and the relationship of the church to "secular" education.

The typical local church has six to ten groups that meet on a weekly basis and include some form of teaching. These groups could include Sunday school for adults and children, various children’s activities, youth meetings, or other adult small groups. Most of these are taught by ordinary believers who don’t really think of themselves as teachers. Yet these believers do most of the teaching in the church. The point of this book is to help these believers realize that they are teachers and take that role as a gift from God. The book then leads them though the process of working out what being a teacher means in their personal context.