The Art of Pastoring: Ministry Without All the Answers -- David Hansen

<ul> <li>Named one of the Top Ten Books of 1994 by the Academy of Parish Clergy</li> </ul><p>Hundreds of books, tapes, workshops and seminars promise to answer these impossible questions. Some offer a set of practical guidelines; others suggest a system or pattern to follow. Some stress various ministry functions; others feature case studies as models of success or failure. Some are helpful. Others are not. But in <em>The Art of Pastoring, </em> David Hansen turns pastoral self-help programs on their heads. He tackles the perennial questions from within his own experience. <strong>From the Inside Out</strong> Hansen's fresh, bold narrative grows from nearly a decade of ministry. He draws you into his life and into the lives of Florence-Victor Parish in the mountains of Montana, including unforgettable encounters with unforgettable people--a stubborn pioneer woman who still chops her own firewood though she's blind and 90 years old, a championship rodeo cowboy who was baptized in his boots, and many more. Hansen's goal is to help you discover that pastoral ministry is a life, not a technology . . . [that] life as a pastor is far more than the sum of the tasks I carry out. It is a call from God that involves my whole life. <strong>From Calling to Living Parable</strong> Every pastor has encountered those who struggle to hear God's voice in a hospital room, who reach for Jesus in the sacraments. No systematic answers can meet their deep, eternal needs. What can touch them, Hans