Practicing Ministry in the Presence of God presents a new paradigm for church ministry--one that is based on fundamental truths of the Christian faith such as the Trinity, union with Christ, and the "already" presence of the Holy Spirit in the church. This new paradigm can help busy pastors avoid "burnout" in the ministry and model Trinitarian, New Testament patterns of ministry to their people. Practicing Ministry in the Presence of God reflects the best of recent New Testament scholarship, sensitivity to the contexts of globalized postmodern cultures dominated by digital media, and practical applications for Christian life, discipleship, worship, and mission.

A major and continuing problem for theological education and the practice of Christian ministry is how to best achieve a genuine integration between theory and practice, theology and experience. The key claim of this book is that theological reflection, beginning with experience, is a method of integration and that pastoral supervision is a vehicle for theological reflection. In establishing this claim, John Paver demonstrates that the model and method have potential to be a catalyst for reform within theological colleges and seminaries. Three different theological reflection models are developed and critiqued in this book, and their capacity to be developed in particular contexts is explored. This book does not stop at ministry, cultural and personal integration, but is bold enough to make recommendations for structural integration within the theological institution.

This book is about building Christian character and the development of ones personal ministries, which includes integrity, commitment, dedication, and devotion. It assures believers that God will never take them any place in their ministries where they are forced to retreat. Bishop Newman Ministry is one of the most important assignments our Savior has commissioned to the church. Each member has an assigned purpose or call for the cause of Christ. How seriously you take that calling will determine your level of maturity as a believer. My father and I have devoted this text to helping believers achieve spiritual maturity. Timothy Keller, in his book Ever Good Endeavor, says, A story begins when something knocks life off balance. Then the progresses, of the plot thickens, as the protagonists struggle to restore that balance and peace while antagonistic forces block and resist them. Finally, the story ends as the struggle results in either the restoration of balance or the failure to recover it. Thats a good story! As baptized believers, our lives have been knocked off balance by the wiles of the devil, and by grace, we are seeking restoration through the blood of Jesus, who was wounded for our transgression and bruised for our iniquities. Our strategy for restoration and development toward Christian maturity and Christlikeness must be based on our commitment, dedication, and devotion to the Will of God. Pastor Israel E. Newman

Contributors represent a diverse denominational cross section and include Dennis Williams, Gary Bredfelt, Gordon Coulter, Michael J. Anthony, James Estep, Jr., Jane Carr, Mark Henze, Mark Simpson, Michelle Anthony, Richard Leyda, and Tony Buchanaan.

This volume draws upon historical and theological sources and empirical research to provide a unique and diverse perspective on theological education in the twenty-first century. The volume develops and promulgates the best thinking about theological education by drawing upon the breadth of expertise represented by the faculty of colleges within the Australian College of Theology. This volume not only produces crucial insights for the future of theological education around the world but gives the Australian theological sector a voice to make its own unique contribution to the global dialogue about theological education.

APTS Press is privileged to offer this festschrift honoring Dr. Kay Fountain, who for more than twenty years has served the Lord at the Asia Pacific Theological Seminary (APTS), in Baguio City, Philippines, first as a student, then as a faculty member and finally as the Academic Dean. Our hope is that this book will reflect her passion for teaching and understanding the Old Testament, which has instilled in her students that kind of passion for the ministry as well. From the Foreword

The Trinitarian Dance presents a model of leadership development based on the Holy Trinity. Part one analyzes the present state of the cultural and ecclesiastical situation in Canada, identifying specific trends and aspects relating to the need for development of effective leadership in the church. This section sets the stage for Part two, where a theology of trinitarian leadership is developed based on the dynamic of perichoresis, with the motif of a dance used to present a paradigm of transformational leadership. Part three offers church-based strategies for leadership development, concluding with a creative application of the doxological formula that captures the thrust of the entire book and leads it to a finale that includes a benediction of hope for the church through this leadership model.

A Call to Action By: Dr. Herron Keyon Gaston A Call to Action: Practically Reversing the Trends of Mass Incarceration explores and establishes a blueprint for United Methodist Churches based on the current Mission Plan for Restorative Justice Ministries (MPRJM). This Mission Plan could be used internally or externally within the United Methodist Church and beyond to begin to deal with the issues associated with the large numbers of persons leaving the prison system and reentering communities where the connectional system of the United Methodist Churches is established, and where other church denominations are in general, to assist retuning prisoners with reentry and restorative justice programs and ministries. A Call to Action is for the United Methodist Church to use its historical work in this area along with its unique reformative connectional system. The United Methodist Church is poised to lead in this area because of its creed, structure, and connectional emphasis on mission work, outreach, and methodical steadfastness to deliver and foster justice and the restorative process among former prisoners. The Summerfield United Methodist Church Prison Reentry Model in Bridgeport, Connecticut, was identified as one of the unique prison reentry and restorative justice type programs to further explore this initiative. Using the Summerfield model as a starting point for this project, Gaston invited parishioners to participate in focus group sessions in May 2017. A group of twenty-five parishioners of varying socioeconomic backgrounds volunteered to participate. The main discussion centered on the current prison fellowship ministry and whether members believed that they were making a difference in their own community. This book has implications for the ministerial practice for dealing with those who have transgressed — and how the United Methodist Church must use its spiritual and connectional resources to reform, redeem, and restore formerly incarcerated individuals back to God and to humanity.