The Minister as Moral Theologian: Ethical Dimensions of Pastoral Leadership

by Sondra Wheeler

A respected scholar and veteran teacher offers Christian leaders tools for facing the demands and seizing the opportunities of being a moral teacher.

Genres: Leadership, Christian, Religion

162 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 16, 2017

Reviews

[Robert Durough, Jr. · Rating 5 out of 5]

For the aspiring, new, and even seasoned shepherd/pastor/preacher, I cannot recommend enough Sondra Wheeler’s The Minister as Moral Theologian: Ethical Dimensions of Pastoral Leadership. This is not a book on ethics, as some would academically approach the subject, although Wheeler does offer a brief primer on types and methods; it is an encouragement and guidebook on being ethical for those shepherding the church. Pastors are not merely prayers, preachers, and teachers; we are (ought to be!) shepherds who model the life of a disciple of Christ and guide others to do the same. This means we “walk the talk,” so to speak, and come alongside others—beginning where they are—and guide them in the same.

Life is messy and often encountered in the grey, which makes how we “do ethics” vitally important in our greater task. Regardless of how much some may want or force it to be, it’s usually not as easy as “yes or no” or “do this to fix that.” In such a small book, Wheeler helpfully discusses with much wisdom the “what, when, why, and how” of living, preaching, teaching, and counseling—or not, as the case may need be. While written in a way that often presumes a more traditional, western and liturgical church, particularly with clergy, its application is by no means strictly understood and confined therein. As a longtime pastor of smaller and home-based churches, as well as a mentor, teacher, and guide to those who come from other churches for pastoral care, I found Wheeler’s book to be an exceptionally helpful and encouraging reminder. I learned from her scholarship and wisdom, as I suspect will any reader open to Spirit of God.

Wheeler is already working on a follow-up, also to be published by Baker Academic: Sustaining Ministry: Foundations and Practices for Serving with Integrity. I look forward to reading that, too!

*I received a temporary, pre-published digital copy for review from Baker Academic via NetGalley.

[Jacob · Rating 3 out of 5]

I find this book to be overall a great introduction to addressing moral and ethical challenges as a minister, but “introduction” is where I’d stop. It’s almost as if this book should serve as the first volume to a larger set of works that go into much more detail on the issues the author mentions in this book. I feel my appetite for this subject is whetted by this book, but nowhere close to satisfied. I appreciate the author mentioning how ministers should have willingness and adeptness to model being wrong sometimes. That is a quality, I think, that many contemporary leaders — religious or otherwise — in our society routinely fail to demonstrate.

[Brannon Hancock · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simple but effective book for ministry students that covers a lot of territory in a brief, accessible read. Chapters giving a breezy intro to ethical theory (duty, consequence, and virtue), then dealing with preaching, teaching and counseling as it relates to moral theology / ethics, with a final chapter that discusses being a "moral exemplar." All of this is framed from a broadly Wesleyan perspective, but not overly so, such that it would limit the book's relevance to other theological traditions. Recommended!!

[Robert D. Cornwall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sondra Wheeler, the professor of Christian ethics at Wesley Theological Seminary, provides a relatively brief exploration of a pastor's role as moral theologian, both in one's public ministry and in one's own life. The author focuses on the responsibility that clergy have for the moral formation of their congregations. This includes preaching, teaching, counseling, as well as serving as a moral example. None of this is easy, but it is necessary. This is a good introduction to that central element of one's ministry.

[Taylor Russell · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were points throughout this book that I really enjoyed and peaked my curiosity. A lot of really helpful ways to think through issues of morality within ministry, especially in the first half of the book. I give it 3 stars though because there was a lot of repetition of the same ideas even though they were presented as new every time. In short, I’d recommend this book as a very helpful skimming resource, particularly chapters 1 and 2

[Magrey Devega · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely meditation on the calling of clergy to be moral theologians, in every aspect of their ministry. I read it after reading it referenced several times in David Gushee's Introducing Christian Ethics.

[Evan Hoekzema · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wheeler takes on the pastor as moral theologian and how pastors are never neutral in their views and encourages them to invite other broader perspectives into the conversation. Wheeler unpacks our moral assumptions so we can increase in our awareness of not only what we believe, but ultimately how and why we came to that conclusion.