Tending to the Holy

by Bruce G. Epperly, Katherine Gould Epperly (with)

Tending to the The Practice of the Presence of God in Ministry invites pastors to embody their deepest beliefs in the routine and surprising tasks of ministry. Inspired by Brother Lawrence's classic text in spirituality, Tending to the Holy integrates the wisdom and practices of the Christian spiritual tradition with the commonplace practices of pastoral ministry. Bruce and Katherine Epperly utilize a variety of spiritual disciplines especially Benedictine, Celtic, Ignatian, Rhineland, and process spiritualities to provide a framework for helping clergy nurture the awareness of God, creative imagination, and personal well-being in every aspect of their ministerial lives.

Practicing God's presence in the ordinary tasks of ministry inspires wholeness, spiritual transformation, vision, imagination, endurance, and healthy self-differentiation in ministry. Commitment to joining spiritual practices with the routine and repetitive tasks of ministry provides an important antidote to unhealthy stress, burnout, and loss of vision in ministry. By seeing their congregational leadership in terms of spiritual transformation, imaginative practice, and relational interdependence, ordinary ministerial practices can become ways pastors can deepen their relationship with God. Growing out of their work with pastors at every season of ministry, as well as combined ministerial experience of nearly sixty years, Bruce and Katherine Epperly invite pastoral leaders to complement and expand on their understanding of spiritual leadership, pastoral excellence, and self-care, integrating traditional and contemporary spiritual practices with the concrete arts of ministry.

Genres: Spirituality

208 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Tracy Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

affirming and encouraging read

Practical theology that many of us hold is clear and encouraging. It is evident that we, as Pastors, also need affirmations, and this reading is both building and transformative, with simplicity at the core of prayer.

[Melissa Greene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely, encouraging, and practical read for pastors.

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

Busy pastors often take little time to attend to their physical, emotional, or spiritual life. They also often compartmentalize parts of their ministry – assuming that some parts are spiritual (preaching and praying) and others not so spiritual (administration). Bruce and Kate Epperly pick up on Brother Lawrence’s imagery of “practicing the presence of God” and share their understanding of how all aspects of ministry are spiritual and need to be undertaken in prayer – whether that prayer is a breath prayer or time spent in contemplation and meditation. For those of us, who are not by nature contemplative, who find it difficult not just to take time but to feel comfortable in prayer, this book is a godsend.

The Epperlys co-pastor a Disciples/UCC federated church in Pennsylvania, while Bruce serves as Director of Continuing Education and Professor of Practical Theology at Lancaster Theological Seminary. This book is very personal, drawing on their experiences of ministry and spirituality. They write with passion about ways in which renewed and energized pastors can help energize mainline churches – not by turning to conservative theology, but by fully engaging a progressive understanding of Christianity. But, this is not rationalistic approach – they understand the need for the mystical, for letting the Spirit move in the life of the pastor and the church. This is an expression of the idea of Christian Practices that Diana Butler Bass, among others, have been lifting up these past several years, calling on us to a practice of awareness of God’s presence in every moment of our lives.

Continue reading the review here: http://www.bobcornwall.com/2009/11/te...

[Sharon Hollis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this was an excellent book that provided a number of really good, practical exercises to ground ministry in the life of the spirit. It has practices to rediscover vocation, to tend to the presence of God in sermon and worship preparation, in administration, in pastoral care and in prophetic hospitality. These practices are well described and when practiced both made me more aware of God in my daily ministry and help me tend my spirit that I might feel cared for. I'd recommend this book to anyone engaged in pastoral ministry who wants to find ways to be conscious of the presence of God in daily life and ministry practice.