Skilled Pastor the

by Charles W. Taylor

Book Overview

A splendid volume detailing the specific skills necessary for sound pastoral guidance in various situations. The author integrates theological reflection with practice, while incorporating religious resources with counseling technique.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0800625099
• ISBN13: 9780800625092
• Release Date: September 1991
• Publisher: Augsburg Fortress Publishing
• Length: 144 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.4" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

The Skilled Pastor

This book give great insight to pastoral skills in counseling. A must for both new and experienced pastors and for laity who visit.

Reviewing the Skilled Pastor

I enjoyed Charles Taylor's book and learned a great deal. While based on Scripture, Taylor's book gives concrete examples of what to do and what to avoid when counseling. His use of this teaching method made things very clear for me.

Listen, Love, Christ

We used this book in our Lay / seminary training. It is Excellent. The tips on body language and listening skills is great

Counseling as the practice of theology

Professor Taylor combines remarkable theological insight with equally remarkable understanding of what's needed in real-life pastoral situations: theory and practice are interwoven. Taylor's main thesis is "The way to help persons deal with their problems is to help them change the beliefs that contribute to their distressing feelings and behaviors. Thus, the goal...is to help people change through hearing and responding to the gospel." (p. 137) Taylor presents three types of pastoral skills needed to accomplish this goal, and presents information on specific techniques that undergird each skill. His underlying theology is centered on the gospel. For the student pastor trying to serve God and his/her fellow humans, Taylor's logical, step-by-step analysis of pastoral encounters and appropriate helping strategies can be invaluable. Although the book is remarkably clearly written, this is not easy material to put into practice, and you'll benefit from practice with a peer group, supervisor, or classroom teaching.