Post Seminar Project

Integrative Essay
Rev. Kris Leland Snyder, DM 800, June 2014
Several challenges have reshaped the American religious landscape. Of these challenges
two in particular have begun a reshaping of pastoral ministry and how people of faith
interact with clergy called to serve the church. Identified and shared by other professions
trust and cultural value shifts have brought many clergy to reconsider vocational fit and
calling.
Noting these challenges in his work, Building Cultures of Trust, Martin Marty articulates
this challenge. Seeing trust restored in congregations or denominations where there has
been a crisis of trust - usually over sexual matters, but sometimes financial or theological
matters - contributes to a spiritually rich and vocationally rewarding outcome.

This

crisis of trust furthers the reality that clergy in American are facing many external and
internal challenges. Sexual identity and function within the family context, theological
shifts that have reinterpreted long held beliefs and practices, and the overall de-churching
of America has lead to a greater crisis for pastors. The spiritual riches and strength can
be achieved and experienced by both pastor and congregation yet not without great
work, determination, and trust.
Americans are hungering for a place of trust and a culture that extends values of
belonging, nurturing, and hope in something greater than themselves. the vast
majority of Americans are at least to some degree involved with religion, including its

1 Martin E. Marty, Building Cultures of Trust (Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2010),
7576.

institutions, in both positive and negative ways.2 This involvement is calling forth
leaders who can embody trust, speak truth and hope, and guide through their vocation a
faith that responds to the challenges of a modern American context.
Martin Martys articulates well the challenge and failures of many religious institutions in
dealing with dialoging, engaging, and bring people together in faith. Openness is
necessary because trust always involves risk, and the one who trusts or is to be trusted
has to be open to risk. Meanwhile, the element of purposiveness seals the matter of
trustworthiness.3 Do leaders who preach the Gospel, tend to the sick and dying, and
teach the catechism have the openness necessary to gain the trust of those seeking hope,
healing, and salvation? This question involves an examination of the challenges, failures,
and needs of clergy and hopes both pastor and congregation have in addressing the needs
currently articulated by our American context.
Clergy who have the trust of others serve well when they are confident in their beliefs,
practices, and identity. When a leader is confident, he can show confidence in others
who have had a similar engendering experience: "I have great confidence in you" (2 Cor.
7:4). Paul thus speaks not only of confidence but of "great" confidence, and not because
he and his readers are physically near each other, where they could count on each other's
presence and power.4 This conversation of trust between pastor and people can be life
giving if fed and nourished by prayer, the Word, Sacrament, and confidence that is
recipicol.

2 Ibid., 8687.
3 Ibid., 295296.
4 Ibid., 683685.

Primary to the crisis is the evidence that a greater percentage of clergy are experiencing
vocational burnout, moral and ethical failures, and evident trust issues within the contexts
they are serving and their perspective church bodies. The identity of who exactly the
pastor is within the faith community has long suffered challenge, yet today this crisis has
experienced greater emphasis as congregations have been ravaged by matters of
theological integrity, moral and ethical applications of the scripture in response to
cultural shifts in beliefs and practices, and the over arching suspicion of those who serve
in public office.
As those who serve as ordained pastors tackle the challenges of the post-modern
American context they must reckon with the need for trust. Trust-relations that are
closest to home, I have argued, demand and deserve closest attention - for a number of
good reasons.5 Martin Marty calls forth a challenge for pastors facing crisis in their
vocational callings to return to this central relationship of trust reestablish it as a core
functional value within the community of faith.
Along with trust the ability for pastors embody the sacred task of listening and becoming
reflexive in that task anchors ministry. Too often pastors master skills in preaching,
administration, and other commonly held tasks but neglect to tend to, nurture, and listen
to those whom they are pastoring. It is as we listen to ourselves in the context of the
God who made us and knows us that we discover our deepest identity, not I alone but I
in him6 The scared task of listening, retaining the story of Gods people in a
particular place, and communicating Gospel to such persons becomes a skillful practice
for the pastor.

5 Ibid., 20432044.
6 Anne Long, Listening. (Daybreak, 1990), 5.

So within the reality of building and maintaining a balance of trust yet being
communicative to the culture we minister within lies the crux of the problem for pastors.
Pastors are faced with the moral realities of doing what is right, what adds value to
persons of faith, and how to effectively communicate the Gospel to a growing number of
persons that are even hostile to the hope that Christ offers. The hurdle for many churches
including my current context is how do we meet the needs of those outside of the church
experience, those who have walked away from the faith, and the many families who
struggle with the cultural context we exist in.
The problem of focus for my current context is two fold: First and primary is how do we
as people of God define, identify, and uphold the office of pastor in a changing context.
Because within the congregation we have varying experiences with some families who
have transferred in from a Lutheran Church Missouri congregation that closed and those
who established the congregation the task of identifying the pastor and his or her role is a
mounting task. Second, with the realities of denominational changes the congregation
resigning from the roster of the Evangelical Lutheran Church and joining the North
American Lutheran Church the expectations, definition, and understanding of the
pastoral vocation receives yet another transformation.
Pastoral identity and function within the local congregation needs to be something that
both pastor and people readily acknowledge and have the ability to speak on the same
terms concerning role definitions, expectations, and absolutes. Paying attention to the
sights, sounds, smells, and tastes related to group life will give the pastor a fuller and
richer understanding of the complexity and variety of cultural stories within a

congregation or community.7 A pastor who serves his congregation well reads,

understands, and gives value to the sacred stories of the congregation. These stories
shape the past, challenge the present, and give meaning to the future. Yet these very
same stories about the identity of the pastor, the role of the congregation in the task of
ministry, and the function of the church as a whole lead many pastors to burnout. This
burnout stems typically from the pastor assuming the sole task of pastoral care provider
and the lone wolf Gospel proclaimer for the church.
This task of knowing the congregational story engages the people of God in investing in
the pastoral office as well. Allowing people to tell their stories of life in this
community, including the good, the bad, and the ugly, is a critical pastoral task that can
help people heal and free them to move on with strength and vigor.8 Mary Moschella
addresses well the missed opportunity pastors face when they do not know the stories of
the people they serve. This lack of investment on the part of the pastor can lead to
greater challenges and perhaps a shorter term of commitment on the behalf of the pastor.
Furthering this is the reality that longevity in ministry to a particular church is something
that sustained churches in the past and something they often hope for in each new
placement.
In my current context as parish pastor to Our Saviours Lutheran several factors have
brought complexity to the office of pastor. Having the availability of a long-term
pastorate may be a hidden desire of the church, yet it is something that they have not
experienced over their lifespan. Even from its inception the congregation survived on

7 Mary Moschella, Ethnography As A Pastoral Practice: An Introduction (The Pilgrim
Press, 2008), 10.
8 Ibid., 3637.

short-term pastorates, college professors from Wartburg College, and a few pastors who
remained at the longest 8 years. Additionally the past decade brought the use of interns
and a supervising pastor from a neighboring larger ELCA church. Consistent pastoral
oversight, lack of someone in the pulpit who brought familiarity and warmth to the
Gospel proclamation, and an earnest longing for someone who invested in the community
has brought the church to its current status of crisis in the office of pastor.
The challenges facing Our Saviours Lutheran in Ackley provide evidence to a widening
challenge in Protestant churches throughout the United States. These challenges are
symptomatic of a growing identity problem over who the pastor is, what they are to do,
and how they are to function within the context of the faith community. Expectations as
well challenge the function of pastor. Lack of collective identifications of who the pastor
is leads to role confusion. There may be some generalizations concerning the pastor and
what he or she may do but the overall identity of the pastor, the role he or she may have
in the church and community, and what should be expected of such a leader. These
generalizations serve to in some instances weaken the Biblical definitions of the pastor
and further the confusion that exists.
Where do we gain our understanding of the office of pastor and how this person functions
in the church? Our faith heritage would offer much guidance in this. Extensively first
with Martin Luther and then through the efforts of others such as CFW Walther we gain a
clearer picture of Gods intent and design concerning the office of pastor and who ought
to fill that position. The pastor exercises the same office that Christ exercised as his
occupational vocation on earth, but that does not confer on the pastor a more godly nature
or status; like all sinners pastor stand worthy before God only because the forgiveness of

sins bestowed through Jesus Christ.9 Because Lutherans stand amongst other Christians
in the vast diverse religious landscape found in America blurring of who the pastor is or
ought to be can occur. The idea that pastors are somehow elevated to a position that
stands outside of the example of Christ should concern Lutherans, especially those
congregations that have openly welcomed divergent leadership styles found more
commonly in corporate America than in the pastoral office.
Robert Kolb offers guidance in our attempt to clarify who the pastor is and how he or she
ought to function by stating, Luther believed, pastors truly maintain and defend their
office not by insisting on their prerogatives as officeholders but simply by practicing and
exercising their office with genuine care for and willing service to their people through
exercising the power of Gods Word as God designed its use among the people.10 The
projection of non-native images of the office of pastor by the American context has
continued to erode and challenge Lutheran ordained ministry. The pastor stands not as
one outside of the priesthood of all believers but within the ranks of those called to love,
serve, and obey the Lord of the Church. He or she shares the mirrored task of being the
kind and Good Shepherd in like manner to Christ.
Others are noticing the dangers that come for Lutheran congregations that embrace and
suggest an image and function of the pastor that stands outside the confessional identity
shaped throughout church history. A functional view of the ministry specifically
endangers the quality of theology in the church: it opens the way to an improper reliance
on personal skills and attributes; it could describe Christian faith as an item of job

9 Robert Kolb, Ministry in Martin Luther and the Lutheran Confessions, in Called
and Ordained (Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress Pr, 1990), 49.
10 Ibid., 51.

competence, and it could encourage the idea that pastors are employed to do the
congregations work.11 Such is the norm in many Lutheran congregations in rural Iowa
as many have accepted and adapted the practice of ministry to fit a functional view. I
would even further suggest that because of a survival mindset congregations have
increasingly placed the success or failure of the church on the ability of the pastor to be
and do the entire work of the church. Ministry as a shared or communal experience
under the guidance of a pastor has been replaced in many contexts allowing this
functional survival mindset to take hold.
Returning to and abiding by Luthers understanding of the office of Word and Sacrament
ministry brings hopeful expectation and new life to pastors experiencing times of
challenge, doubt, and despair. Ordained ministry for Luther was focused on fulfilling a
specific task on behalf of the people of God. Namely the proclamation of the saving
grace of Jesus Christ.12 This proclamation takes place in and through several articulated
tasks that should be identified and understood by both pastor and congregation. Teaching
the word, preaching and proclaiming, baptize, consecrate and administer the sacraments,
bind and loose sins, pray for others, sacrifice, and judge all doctrinal spirits.13 There
stands a delicate balance between over spiritualizing the call to serve as pastor and seeing
it as a functional task that brings good order, sound teaching and guidance, and provides
validation for the Christian disciple.

11 Nathan Castens, Ordained Ministry in the Christian Priesthood: The Dialectical
Nature of Lutheran Theology and Practice of Ministry (Doctorate of Ministry
Thesis, St. Paul, MN: Luther Theological Seminary, 1984), 139.
12 Karen Geisendorfer-Lindgren, Preparing for Call: A Theological, Historical,
Spiritual and Practical Resource for Clergy in Pastoral Transittion within the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (Doctorate of Ministry Thesis, St. Paul, MN:
Luther Theological Seminary, 2001), 3233.
13 Ibid., 32.

The awareness of pastoral identity and trueness to the call to serve as implementer of
Word and Sacrament ministry means the pastor must gain an applicable understanding of
how this role in shaped in the context of the church. Ministry implies an awareness of
the church, the community of persons faithful to the Gospel and individually and
collectively also engaged in ministry.14 More than a functional awareness it becomes a
living out of the vocational role of Jesus as the confessions teach us to be in the place of
Christ as ministers.
There is some caution advised when we examine the role of pastor in the congregation as
well. Special attention must be given so the pastor does not assume the whole of the
ministry task or embrace a messianic identity that no person could live up to or sustain
for any length of time. The clergy represented God. God as pure, compassionate, and
always available so must the clergy person.15 Such beliefs run counter to the actual
and confessional identity of the pastor as prescribed by the reformers.
Following the Biblical example of Christ and His guidance to St. Peter in the Gospel
pastors are called to feed the sheep and tend to the care of those who are under Christs
lordship. The conversation shared by Peter and the Lord mirrors the demands or calling
God has placed on those who hold the pastoral office. When they had finished
breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, Simon, son of John, do you love me more than
these? He said to him, Yes, Lord; you know that I love you. He said to him, Feed my
lambs. He said to him a second time, Simon, son of John, do you love me? He said to
him, Yes, Lord; you know that I love you. He said to him, Tend my sheep. He said to

14 Castens, Ordained Ministry in the Christian Priesthood: The Dialectical Nature of
Lutheran Theology and Practice of Ministry, 13.
15 J. Fred Lehr, Clergy Burnout: Recovering from the 70-Hour Work Week-- and Other
Self-Defeating Practices (Prisms; Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2006), 52.

him the third time, Simon, son of John, do you love me? Peter was grieved because he
said to him the third time, Do you love me? and he said to him, Lord, you know
everything; you know that I love you. Jesus said to him, Feed my sheep.16 It is this
feeding with the Word and Sacrament and tending with the pastoral heart that brings
about the very presence of God.
Proper identification and function of the pastor has met certain challenges in a postmodern context that sees less value in an ordained clergyperson serving in a leadership
role. we discover that the churches we serve are sometimes part of the problem, for
they too easily get entangled in the entertainments and consumerisms of the worldWe
can easily give in to our cultures cravings for happiness and miss the true Joy of genuine
faithfulness.17 American consumerism and entertainment evangelism leaves many
churches in a constant struggle for gaining new members and maintaining a high level of
functioning for the pastor. This in the end also allows unrealistic expectations and nonnative Lutheran understandings of the office of pastor to emerge. The pastor is seen as
something outside of the normative expectations of preaching, teaching, administrating
the means of grace, and embodying the Christ who has called him or her.
The mounting challenges to the pastoral office and lack of clarity concerning role
definitions leads many serving the church to abandon ministry altogether. Because the
pastoral identity of the clergy is so closely bound up with their public ministry, disrespect

16 John 21:17, ESV Bible, n.d., n.p. [cited 24 October 2014]. Online:
http://www.esvbible.org/John+21%3A17/.
17 Marva J. Dawn, The Sense of the Call: A Sabbath Way of Life for Those Who Serve
God, the Church, and the World (Grand Rapids, Mich: W.B. Eerdmans Pub. Co, 2006),
3.

10

for the latter is felt as a kind of threat to the former.18 The crisis of role identification
leads pastors into accepting other roles that stretch the traditional roles often associated
with pastoral ministry. Previous generations may favor a strong pastoral presence and
readily identify with such, however as Christian churches face increasing challenges
within a crowded context confusion over the pastoral role will continue to erode the
confessional understanding of who the pastor was intended to be.
In the context of my ministry the listening part of the pastoral office has suffered much
neglect over the past several calls. The value of truly listening and valuing the
congregational story, the individual stories of the members of Our Saviours Lutheran,
and how each shape the future of Gods people in Ackley. Listening, like any
worthwhile ministry, is tiring. It calls for concentration, commitment, faith, a putting
aside of ones own preoccupations.19 Certainly with the other demands present in
pastoral ministry listening can take a back seat or seen as a task best suited to those who
are trained specifically in Christian counseling fields. Concentrating on the task of
listening means availing the skills found in the confessional office. When we like others
become still and know Gods presence and provision we lead others to slow down and
hear Gods voice.
What often is lacking in the initial call process and interview is the dedicated
ethnographic discovery advocated by Mary Clark Moschella. Most people long to be
heard. The aim of pastoral listening in ethnography is that the speakers and the group

18 James I. Packer, Self-Care for Pastors: Riches from the Anglican Devotional
Tradition, Crux 39, no. 4 (2003): 2.
19 Long, Listening., 67.

11

become empowered20 Specifically, does the nature of the call process and work on
the congregational profile allow for the candidate to hear the many voices of the
congregation? In the case of Our Svaiours Lutheran the answer would be found in the
process that lead me to serve as their pastor.
First serving as pulpit supply during a time of transition, then as interim, and finally as
their contracted pastor under a 20 hour per week call has lead many to some elements of
role confusion. In such a limited time call pastoral listening can be a challenge given the
other demands of worship preparation, sermon writing, catechism instruction, and
visitation. It is our confessional tradition that reminds us that even in a shorter time call
the responsibilities of tending to the flock remain the same. This in itself will bring about
clarity for pastor and people. In accepting his call the pastor assumes responsibility for
the spiritual welfare of the congregations members. In addition, he promises to reach
out with Gods Word to the unchurched. In calling a pastor, the members on their part
promise to accept him as the one who will serve them with Gods Word in whatever
pertain to faith and life. They expect him to help and guide them in matters spiritual,
religious, and moral.21 Becoming a steward and caretaker of spiritual welfare extends
into the preaching office, the confessional, worship, and catechism instruction. A
realistic challenge then is to remove through careful guidance to remove the unhealthy
role identifications that have challenged the office of pastor namely those often lead to
a more egocentric pastoral ministry.

20 Moschella, Ethnography As A Pastoral Practice: An Introduction, 141.
21 Armin W. Schuetze, The Counseling Shepherd (Milwaukee, Wis: Northwestern Pub.
House, 1988), 2.

12

This examination leads to the clearly state the image of the pastor, how that person
functions in a small community such as Ackley, and how a faith group such as the North
American Lutheran Church intends to evangelize the community in real and tangible
ways. The image of the pastor as a human being projects is important. Is he
compassionate? Concerned? Approachable?22 The compassionate, concerning, and
approachable shepherd can lead many to Christ and validate the ministry of the faithful.
However, as has been the case for several years the perceived neglect of the office of
pastor, the detached and unattended to needs of the congregation, and the challenges of
leaving the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America have certainly left many to become
discouraged.
Past images of the pastor being the sole leader in the congregation and administering all
work of the church including her mission have brought many challenges to previous
pastors. Pastors quickly fall into this congregationally defined role full of unrealistic
expectations. This leads quickly to the pastor feeling overwhelmed and longing for
members to assist with the mission of the congregation. Pastors were less likely to
burnout in churches where members were growing in faith.23 What determines growth
in faith? When a congregation such as Our Saviours Lutheran takes up a survival
mindset to incur the changes in pastoral leadership and the challenges of evangelizing a
dying community growth can be stifled.
Robert Preus views the spiritual and challenging wilderness journeys of congregations
and pastors as Gods opportunity to wrought change and bring about a discovery His

22 Ibid., 4.
23 J Stephen Muse, Clergy in Crisis: When Human Power Isnt Enough, J. Pastor.
Care Couns. 61, no. 3 (2007): 184.

13

divine grace. Can and ought a pastor view mental breakdown or nervous exhaustion as
a chastening from a loving God calculated only to bless and bring the pastor (and
congregation) closer to him? The answer must be a resounding yes Yes if the pastor
believes in a loving God who sent His Son to be our Savior.24 The natural call for
pastor and congregation is bring the things of God namely the Sacraments and Word
closer to the people of God. The movement of the pastor is to advocate for this to occur
weekly in the divine service and throughout the daily lives of the faithful by prayer,
praise, and outward acts of service that are model primarily by the pastor.
What the church long for is the reemergence of an authentic shepherd leadership that can
gently lead the faithful and gather the lost sheep that have strayed from the flock.
Perhaps idealistic such an image is comforting to many in rural congregations who from
the very beginnings of their faith experiences acknowledge how such leadership enabled
them to be and do the work of ministry. However caution should be given to balance
such a role with others that advocate discipleship and doing the work of evangelism as a
shared task for both pastor and congregation. While the temptation to allow culture and
other factors to determine the role of the pastor and his/her function in the faith
community we would be wise to speak clarity into this. When a breakdown of trust and
empathy has occurred in science, religion, or some other realm, a new and unwelcome
character often appears on the scene in the form of the fanatic.25 The fanaticism would
invite elements of business leadership and movement towards a more egocentrism that

24 Robert D Preus, Clergy Mental Health and the Doctrine of Justification,
Concordia Theol. Q. 48, no. 2-3 (1984): 122.
25 Marty, Building Cultures of Trust, 20782079.

14

has no lasting value when considering the office of pastor. No servant is greater than his
or her Master that is Jesus Christ the great Shepherd.
Working with the congregation to reengage ideas, expectations, aspirations, and
understandings of the office of pastor and how that person should and ought to function
would be an important task. In the local congregation the assessment and implementation
of such a project would allow the voice of the congregation and individual members to
surface and lead to a great awareness for both pastor and congregation. In ethnographic
listening, we want to emulate this empowering approach to listening as a key component
in pastoral leadership by taking seriously the voice and the insights of the people we are
called to serve.26 Listening to then empower the people of God to then possess skills
such as discipleship, Biblical literacy, and practical application of key concepts in daily
life should give challenge and direction to the pastor.
Processing the understandings, perceptions, and hopeful expectations that members have
for their pastor and the ministry of the church can be life giving. In my current context
the challenges of meeting budget and facilitating pastoral ministry on a limited budget
have brought about a more survival mindset for the congregation. The process of
naming ones current situation and worldview may give rise to deeper knowing and the
longing for change.27 If we acknowledge that we are in a context of declining
population and members naming this as a reality it begins the longing for changed. Being
real with the challenges we face and not longing to be or do ministry in a manner that
inconsistent with our identity must be realized.

26 Moschella, Ethnography As A Pastoral Practice: An Introduction, 151.
27 Ibid., 152.

15

The greatest challenge for Our Saviours and other like sized congregations is to move
the focus from trying to be akin to programmatic or larger congregations and become the
church God intends for us to be. That intended congregational nature given by God
centers around font and table, pulpit and confessional office. It involves the pastor being
the caring shepherd, the attentive caregiver, and the guiding image of Gods grace.
Building on this is the concept of trust that comes through caring conversations about the
function and role of the pastor. With so much at stake, and since there is rich promise in
conversation and what it implies, it is important to develop an understanding of this form
of human exchange as an agency for constructing cultures of trust.28 When pastor and
congregation understand expectations, previous role definitions, and the needs they have
for pastoral leadership real change and evolution can occur in the faith community.
Beyond the nurturing that occurs within the context of the congregation the use of an
elder pastor relationship with a neighboring pastor could be effective to illicit change in
the definition, role, and function of the pastor. We shall also need, as suggested earlier,
a wise senior partner or supervisor who will help us look at what we meet in the listening
relationship in such a way that we can become more effective.29 As in previous calls the
mentoring relationship with an elder pastor allowed me to listen to the story of the
congregation, assess more correctly the needs of the parish, and discern the movement of
God in a particular congregational setting.
The overall goal of investing in role identification brings a wealth of growth to the
congregation and additionally its future pastoral leaders. Considering the existence of
short term pastorates, declining membership trends, and the relative small nature of the

28 Marty, Building Cultures of Trust, 21082110.
29 Long, Listening., 68.

16

North American Lutheran Church the investment of time to explore pastoral identity and
function would do us all well.
The emergent church movement has challenged the confessional church and its very
identity, function, and ability to reach people where they are. The core characteristics
of the emergent movement: identifying with Jesus, transforming secular space, living as
community, welcoming the stranger, serving with generosity, participating as producers,
creating as created beings, leading as a body, and merging ancient and contemporary
spiritualties.30 The return to the pastor as Shepherd mirroring Christ in function and
form becomes a place of beginning. Additionally finding tangible and successful ways of
integrating the old and the new could work to attract families who see the church as
distant, irrelevant, and absent in overall human experience.
The attempt here is to clarify the muddy waters concerning the identity of the pastor, who
that is to be, how they are to function, and how God uses such men and woman to be
agents of Gods grace. Personality characteristics aside the identity of the pastor is a
public role that is set a part for those called by God, enlightened by the gifts provide to
carry out such work, and affirmed by the congregation. From the beginning of the call to
its conclusion both pastor and congregation work to identify core needs, restate the basic
functions of the pastor, and how God uses the balanced relationship of pastor and people
to do the work of evangelism.

30 Tony Jones, The Church Is Flat: The Relational Ecclesiology of the Emerging Church
Movement (Minneapolis, MN: JoPa Group, 2011), 4.

17

Sources Consulted
Castens, Nathan. Ordained Ministry in the Christian Priesthood: The Dialectical Nature
of Lutheran Theology and Practice of Ministry. Doctorate of Ministry Thesis, St.
Paul, MN: Luther Theological Seminary, 1984.
Dawn, Marva J. The Sense of the Call: A Sabbath Way of Life for Those Who Serve God,
the Church, and the World. Grand Rapids, Mich: W.B. Eerdmans Pub. Co, 2006.
Geisendorfer-Lindgren, Karen. Preparing for Call: A Theological, Historical, Spiritual
and Practical Resource for Clergy in Pastoral Transition within the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America. Doctorate of Ministry Thesis, St. Paul, MN: Luther
Theological Seminary, 2001.
Jones, Tony. The Church Is Flat: The Relational Ecclesiology of the Emerging Church
Movement. Minneapolis, MN: JoPa Group, 2011.
Kolb, Robert. Ministry in Martin Luther and the Lutheran Confessions. Pages 4966 in
Called and Ordained. Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress Pr, 1990.
Lehr, J. Fred. Clergy Burnout: Recovering from the 70-Hour Work Week-- and Other
Self-Defeating Practices. Prisms. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2006.
Long, Anne. Listening. Daybreak, 1990.
Marty, Martin E. Building Cultures of Trust. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2010.
Moschella, Mary. Ethnography As A Pastoral Practice: An Introduction. The Pilgrim
Press, 2008.
Muse, J Stephen. Clergy in Crisis: When Human Power Isnt Enough. Journal of
Pastoral Care & Counseling 61, no. 3 (2007): 18395.

18

Packer, James I. Self-Care for Pastors: Riches from the Anglican Devotional Tradition.
Crux 39, no. 4 (2003): 213.
Preus, Robert D. Clergy Mental Health and the Doctrine of Justification. Concordia
Theological Quarterly 48, no. 23 (1984): 11323.
Schuetze, Armin W. The Counseling Shepherd. Milwaukee, Wis: Northwestern Pub.
House, 1988.
John 21:17. ESV Bible, n.d. No pages. Cited 24 October 2014. Online:
http://www.esvbible.org/John+21%3A17/.

19