Pastoral Theology: Theological Foundations for Who a Pastor is and What He Does

While many pastoral ministry books focus on the practical duties of the pastor, few works actually consider how theological truth defines the pastor’s role and responsibilities. These pragmatic ministry tools, though instructionally beneficial, essentially divorce biblical doctrine from ministerial practice. As a result, pastors’ lives and ministries often lack the theological roots that provide the stability and nourishment necessary to sustain them. Pastoral Theology constructs a theological framework for pastoral ministry that is biblically derived, historically informed, doctrinally sound, missionally engaged, and contextually relevant. By using traditional theological categories the authors explore the correlation between evangelical doctrine and pastoral practice. Through careful theological integration they formulate a ministry philosophy that defines the pastoral office and determines its corresponding responsibilities in light of theological truth. The authors provide a theological understanding of the pastorate that will equip aspiring pastors to discern and pursue their calling, challenge younger pastors to build on ministerial truth instead of ministerial trends, and inspire seasoned pastors to be reinvigorated in their passion for Christ and his church.

Publisher: B & H
Type: Paperback
ISBN: 9781433685781

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Daniel L. Akin is the president of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina. He holds a Ph.D. in Humanities from the University of Texas at Arlington and has authored or edited many books and Bible commentaries including Ten Who Changed the World and the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary volumes on Mark and 1, 2, 3 John. R. Scott Pace is dean of The College at Southeastern and associate professor of pastoral ministry and preaching at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, where he holds the Johnny Hunt Chair of Biblical Preaching. He is the author of numerous books including Answering God’s Call and Preaching by the Book. He is also the co-author of Pastoral Theology: Theological Foundations for Who a Pastor Is and What He Does.

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“As a pastor for forty years, never have I seen a greater need for pastors to be grounded in a divine understanding of ministry than in an age when people are more concerned with the length of a sermon than its depth; the humor of a pastor rather than his holiness; and that church should be more about creative thinking than about communicating truth. Every pastor and everyone desiring to become one should read this tour de force which will move all ministers to be connected to a holy God and more committed to a holistic ministry, which are the only things that give all pastoral work ultimate meaning.” James Merritt, Senior Pastor, Cross Pointe Church, Duluth, GA