This comprehensive textbook on pastoral ministry for pastors, church leaders, and students articulates a biblical model for shepherding God's people. Written by a leading psychologist and seminary professor who has served as a pastor for more than two decades, the book covers twelve major areas of pastoral ministry, highlights the essential work of the Holy Spirit, and focuses on the personal and family life of the pastor. It includes cross-cultural perspectives of special interest in our diverse world and a foreword by John Ortberg.

Shepherding God’s Flock is both a textbook for students of pastoral ministry and a handbook for pastors. Jay Adams is well-known for his practical and thorough approach to the many issues of Christian counseling. That same practicality and thoroughness is found in this unparalleled handbook on pastoral ministry. Not only does it offer pastors one of the best resources in print, but it also provides church elders with an orientation and practical guide to aspects of ministry for which they have responsibility. It is truly a shepherd’s handbook. The book is divided into three parts. Pastoral Life deals with the pastor, his calling, and the general care he provides the flock. Pastoral Counseling provides an overview of the task and a general approach for pastoral counselors. Pastoral Leadership offers a perspective on the ways the pastor can lead the church in its many tasks and responsibilities.

A biblical, historical, theological, and practical foundation for pastoral leadership Pastors have been entrusted with leading the people of God. The shepherds of God’s flock must protect them from and guide them through the many dangers believers face. Although ultimately the Church is led by Christ, pastors are to provide godly examples of what it means to be a follower of the Lord. Consequently, who leads the church, the type of authority they are given, how they relate to one another, to whom they are accountable, and how they are selected are of utmost importance to the life and health of God’s people. This book provides the biblical, historical, theological, and practical foundation of the crucial task of leading God’s people.

The traditional pastoral role has changed over the last decades, largely due to the growth of mega-churches. The senior pastor has tended to become more an executive leader with an emphasis on public preaching as the figurehead of a large organisation. The traditional pastoral role has been superseded in large part in these situations, with much of the regular pastoral role being performed by a range of associate pastors/elders with a primary function as pastors, with little if any preaching component. In the past, many churches did not have any pastoral assistance, and often the pastor was assisted by deacons, performing de facto pastoral roles, whilst also performing the normal administrative functions usually ascribed to deacons. This has meant that often the expectancy of performing this de facto pastoral role, has led to a more selective process for choosing deacons, often precluding some well-equipped and gifted men from a serving ministry because they did not simultaneously qualify as elders. We look at the pastoral role generally, but with a view to multiplying this role in order to meet the needs of growing congregations through the introduction of elders. Some practical considerations are given for the transition to introduce these changes. Alongside this, what is the function of women in leadership ministries of the church?

Leaders are often pressured to lead in the way 'others' would have them lead. Although advice and opinions will be numerous they must learn to hear only from the Chief Shepherd, and lead the way He would have them lead. The bible has provided perfect examples of leadership; Moses in the Old Testament and Jesus Christ, in the New Testament. Moses shepherded people for over forty years in the wilderness only to miss out on the Promised Land, in the end. In attempting to shepherd God's people today, this can too easily be the predicament of our current day leaders. Sheep have a view; it is just different than that of the Shepherd. Sheep (the congregation) will never be able to see what the Shepherd sees. It is the responsibility of the Shepherd to lead, care for, protect and feed the flock. The caveat is that the shepherd is not leading, caring for, protecting, and feeding his own flock, but he is shepherding the flock that belongs to God. Therefore, a shepherd can't operate on his own preference but must be careful to always follow the prompting of the Holy Spirit. A Shepherd's View is full of encouragement for today's shepherds. There are biblical principles, application worksheets, and humorous and painful life experiences. The goal of this book is to help leaders shepherd after the pattern that God has designed. It is crucial that the leader cares properly for the people of God so they won't miss out on the Promised Land - Heaven. ABOUT THE AUTHOR _________________ Rufus K. Turner is the Bishop, Prelate over the Visionaries Pursuing Excellence, Inc. churches. He began his ministry in 1995 with just one family. Since that time the ministry has grown into seven thriving churches. Rufus consults with ministry and community leaders throughout the nation. He is a graduate of Fuller Theological Seminary, with a Master of Divinity degree in theology and continues to return periodically as a guest speaker. Rufus ministers in conferences and churches throughout the United States. He and his wife, Trena, live in California and have two grown children and a grandson.

An unparalleled exposé for pastors. Vital information on developing committed members. An in-depth study on the activities of shepherds. A practical guide for all ministers

With over two million church leaders working in the more than ten million parishes, congregations, seminaries, and houses of religious formation around the world, it is important that all the people of God of every church have selfless church leaders who reflect the mind of Christ. But how can church leaders learn to be true shepherds like Jesus, whose selfless sacrifice of his life for his people set the standard for the pastoral ministry? The Ministry of the Shepherd and the Church in Africa draws on a wide range of Old and New Testament texts to develop the biblical theology of the shepherd Ministry which encourages right shepherding and evangelization in the world of self-serving leadership styles. Focusing especially on the example of pastoral ministry in Africa, author and priest, Cletus Chukwudi Imo explores some of the underlying attitudes of the pastor and the laity, and challenges church leaders to adopt a role as shepherds and servantsnot as self-serving mastersso that they can lead, guide, and teach their congregations as Christ would. Because it can be easy for church leaders to get wrapped up in the sociocultural, political, and economic concerns of their parishes, it is important for these church leaders to shed an undue focus on these concerns instead of shepherd their flocks. By modeling their lives and leadership on the ideals of Jesus, church leadersincluding priests, religious, lecturers, seminarians, and even lay-Christian parents alikecan become true servants and shepherds, honoring the example of Jesus, the Good Shepherd

The Shepherd-Flock Motif in the Miletus Discourse (Acts 20:17-38) Against Its Historical Background provides a comprehensive survey of the use of the shepherd-flock motif in the ancient world for the readers of the New Testament. This review of Ancient Near Eastern, Jewish, Greco-Roman, and Christian sources is guided by a motific approach that integrates the concept of metaphor, Semantics, and the comparative method. A chief concern of this study is to apply this knowledge to the study of Luke-Acts, especially the Miletus Discourse (Acts 20:17-38). The shepherd-flock motif appears to be central in this speech and helps to integrate other motifs and themes in this discourse, such as the kingship motif. The Shepherd-Flock Motif in the Miletus Discourse (Acts 20:17-38) Against Its Historical Background is indispensable to the study of motifs in the New Testament and contributes meaningfully to the scholarly research on Luke-Acts.

Despite being recognized as the most 'Jewish' Gospel, many argue that Matthew was penned by someone who sought to distance himself from Judaism. Scholars have used diverse approaches for determining the relationship between Matthew and the variegated Judaism of the first century, but few recognize the important piece that the Evangelist's Christology - in particular the shepherd motif - brings to the puzzle of his socio-religious orientation. Wayne Baxter contends that there are distinctive tendencies in the shepherd metaphor's appropriation by non-Christ-believing Jewish and Graeco-Roman authors as well as Christ-believing authors approximately contemporary with Matthew, which reflect distinct patterns of thought. By comparing these uses of the shepherd metaphor Baxter unearths clues about the Evangelist's socio-religious orientation. Baxter is able to use this to determines the metaphor's contribution to the overall theological framework of the Gospel, specifically, its Christology, soteriology, and the Evangelist's view of mission. Moreover, he is able to ascertain Matthew's socio-religious orientation, and thus, and its implications for the debate surrounding the 'parting of the ways' between Judaism and Christianity.