R Robert Creech Boeken

Offers a distinctive free church vision for pastoral leadership, attending to voices from the past four centuries as they speak about the practice of ministry.

Calls pastors and congregational leaders to undertake the lifelong journey of personal transformation as Jesus's disciples, providing a foundation for leading change in the congregations they serve. Now revised throughout.

This one-of-a-kind resource in professional ethics helps today's Christian leaders maintain a high moral character and lifestyle and sharpen their personal and professional decision-making skills. Two experienced teachers and pastors address both current and perennial ethical issues and offer guidance for developing a personal code of ethics to maintain integrity in the work of ministry. The authors address the nature of ethical decision making as well as practical areas where integrity can be compromised, including issues raised by the use of smartphones and social media. Appendixes include codes of ethics from various denominations.

Ministerial Ethics provides both new and experienced pastors with tools for sharpening their personal and professional decision making skills. The authors seek to explain the unique moral role of the minister and the ethical responsibilities of the vocation and to provide "a clear statement of the ethical obligations contemporary clergy should assume in their personal and professional lives." Trull and Carter deal with such areas as family life, confidentiality, truth telling, political involvement, working with committees, and relating to other church staff members. First published in 1993, this edition has been thoroughly updated throughout and contains expanded sections on theological foundations, the role of character, confidentiality, and the timely topic of clergy sexual abuse. Appendices describing various denominational ministerial codes of ethics are included.

Helps pastoral leaders increase their effectiveness by applying the Bowen Family Systems Theory to congregational life and ministry.