Pastor to the Body of the Congregation

Pastor to the Body of the Congregation: A Companion Guide for Congregational Clergy fills a gap in seminary education and in-service training by applying the skills of helping individuals and families to caring for an entire congregation. This book takes an empowerment approach, drawn from social work, to lead with congregational strengths, build trusting relationships, assess needs, establish mutual goals, and work toward measurable outcomes. Social work, religious advocacy, and media relations contribute clearly presented and easily applied skills such as building rapport, creating a mutual work plan, partialization of larger tasks, acting with parsimony, and holding to task. It also draws from systems theory to identify and address obstacles to work, with a unique presentation of triangulation that includes categorization of behavior patterns such as secondhand comments, default responses, grandstanding, and gatekeeping, and provides appropriate responses for immediate application to congregational life. Of additional significance, this book takes a relational approach, as suggested by Jewish thinker Martin Buber, by labeling situations and behavior, not people, prioritizing current needs and situations over in-depth historic study and analysis, and underscoring the intention of staying in relationship with our congregants, even when we react with upset.