cultivating a pastor’s heart
HAROLD L. SENKBEIL
Foreword by Michael Horton
The Care of Souls: Cultivating a Pastor’s Heart
Copyright 2019 Harold L. Senkbeil
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Artwork on pages xxiv–xxv, 58–59, 154–55, 218–19, 232, 276–77 are copyright 2019 Jonathan Mayer (www.ScapegoatStudio.com). Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Print ISBN 9781683593010
Digital ISBN 9781683593027
Lexham Editorial: Todd Hains, Eric Bosell, Erin Mangum
Cover Design: Kristen Cork
The Pastoral Craft: One Farm Boy’s Story
What Is a Pastor? The Classical Model
The Word of God: Ministry’s Source and Norm
The Cure of Souls: Attentive Diagnosis
The Cure of Souls: Intentional Treatment
Sheep-Dogging and Shepherding: The Noble Task
Holiness and the Cure of Souls
Drawing Near to God: Proximity and Holiness
Invisible Powers: Spiritual Warfare
Christ’s “Other Sheep”: Mission and the Care of Souls
Always Be Steady: Equilibrium in Ministry
Books on preaching, church leadership, vision, and strategy continue to flow from numerous presses. Pastors’ conferences abound for those who want to learn how to reach particular niche demographics. And all the while, pastors are dropping out of ministry in droves and parishioners often feel that they must look elsewhere for real spiritual support.
What is going on? Why have so many who entered the ministry precisely in order to cure souls found it an intolerable burden? Why is there so much technique and so little help to aid those who aspire to be, more than anything else, shepherds of Christ’s flock? Harold Senkbeil offers here not only the best explanation of this problem but the best alternative that I have seen in many years. A friend of many years, Harold has impressed me as one of the few real guides for how the gospel is applied in pastoral ministry. His first book of interest to me personally was Dying to Live: The Power of Forgiveness (1994). Sanctification—the theme of that book—is not “our part” in salvation; rather, it is Christ’s work by his Spirit (always through the gospel). Driven by forgiveness and justification, the Christian life is true freedom. Growing in the grace, knowledge, and obedience of Christ is the result of being united to Christ himself—his person and his work.
The Care of Souls is ...
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About The Care of Souls: Cultivating a Pastor’s HeartPastors care for a soul in the way a doctor cares for a body. In a time when many churches have lost sight of the real purpose of the church, The Care of Souls invites a new generation of pastors to form the godly habits and practical wisdom needed to minister to the hearts and souls of those committed to their care. Harold Senkbeil helps remind pastors of the essential calling of the ministry: preaching and living out the Word of God while orienting others in the same direction. And he offers practical and fruitful advice—born out of his five decades as a pastor—that will benefit both new pastors and those with years in the pulpit. Drawing on a lifetime of pastoral experience, The Care of Souls is a beautifully written treasury of proven wisdom which pastors will find themselves turning to again and again. |
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