Face to Face: Meeting Christ in Friend and Stranger

by Samuel Wells

Pastors, priests, and pastoral caregivers often accompany people who are struggling to negotiate experiences of sickness, bereavement or anxiety. There are no easy answers in such situations, no formulaic remedies, and no slick theological explanations. The process of being present, listening, and responding is demanding. It can require skills and wisdom beyond the ministers' own experience. Often, caregivers feel they receive as much or more than they give to the care seekers in such encounters.

In Face to Face, Samuel Wells reflects theologically and pastorally on twenty such encounters in care giving that were both hugely challenging and hugely instructive for him. The result is a book of profound practical wisdom and understanding that will inform and enrich pastoral ministry for all who read it. An extended introduction on the nature and practice of pastoral ministry provides the foundation for the telling of these memorable and moving accounts.

128 pages, Paperback

First published February 28, 2019

About the author

Samuel Wells (PhD, University of Durham) is vicar of St. Martin-in-the-Fields Anglican Church at Trafalgar Square in London. He previously served as dean of the chapel and research professor of Christian ethics at Duke University. Wells is the author of several books, including Be Not Afraid, Improvisation: The Drama of Christian Ethics, and Transforming Fate into Destiny: The Theological Ethics of Stanley Hauerwas. He also coedited, with Stanley Hauerwas, The Blackwell Companion to Christian Ethics.

Reviews

[Russrook · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful, heart warming, inspiring and ultimately human stories about the way God shows up in ordinariness and brokenness. A book for anyone who wants to think more deeply about what it means to be a priest or pastor.

[Nina Tweddle · Rating 5 out of 5]

A family short book of reflections by Sam. Some I have heard before either in Sam's sermons or in other books he has written. They are infused with Sam's humour, depth of understanding of faith, understanding of the complex life of a clergyman and the wonder of God.