P&R Pastoral Ministry Collection (8 vols.)

by Rachel Green Miller; David C. Innes; Bill Davis; Luder G. Whitlock Jr.

and

3 more

Publisher:

P&R

, 1996–2019

Overview

The P&R Pastoral Ministry Collection gathers practical resources for effectively serving people and serving the church. These resources provide pastors with tools in Bible study and application, church unity, counseling, leadership, and more. The topics covered are useful for pastors, ministry leaders, and those invested in the health of their church.

Key Features

• Addresses how to foster unity and deeper community
• Explains how to apply Scripture to daily life
• Explores more than 100 principles drawn from St. Peter

Beyond Authority and Submission: Women and Men in Marriage, Church, and Society

• Author: Rachel Green Miller
• Publisher: P&R
• Publication Date: 2019
• Pages: 280

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

The world needs Christians to speak out about Scripture’s teaching on the matters of sex and gender. That means we need to make sure we have it right ourselves. Have we borrowed cultural beliefs from other times and societies? Have we overcorrected and added to God’s Word? Is there a better way than the competing rules and guidelines we see in the church today?

Rachel Green Miller argues that what the Bible teaches about women, men, and gender is both simpler and more difficult than we’re often told. Although modern discussions have focused on authority and submission, there is much more to the biblical picture. Examining common beliefs in the light of Scripture, she draws out important biblical themes that will strengthen our relationship as co-laborers in the kingdom of God and for the good of this world.

There is a very real danger in our current cultural moment that the polarization that characterizes the political landscape might well come to exert an unfortunate influence on both the rhetoric and the content of discussions among Christians on a number of controversial topics. The temptation to respond to one extreme error by adopting its mirror image is strong but rarely, if ever, correct. And there are few topics in the public square that are more divisive than the relationship between the sexes. It is therefore a pleasure to commend this book by Rachel Miller, which eschews the cheap extremism and bombastic rhetoric that characterize conservative Christian responses to feminism and plots not a middle way but a biblical way through the subjects of authority, submission, masculinity, and the like. She is not interested in making the Bible fit 1950s ideals of what men and women should be; rather, she wants to help the reader to think about what the Bible actually means in the present. This is a refreshingly sane read.

—Carl Trueman, Professor of Biblical and Religious Studies, Grove City College

Rachel Green Miller is a researcher and popular blogger who is passionate about elevating the dignity of women, improving the cultural conversation about gender relations, and defending orthodox Christianity. A member of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, she lives in Houston, Texas, with her husband, Matt, and their three sons.

Christ and the Kingdoms of Men: Foundations of Political Life

• Author: David C. Innes
• Publisher: P&R
• Publication Date: 2019
• Pages: 264

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

What are a Christian’s civic responsibilities, and why? David Innes provides a principled political theology for understanding our civic “life together” in God’s world. God calls our human officeholders and their civic business to a high moral purpose. His involvement in earthly rule reveals the nobility of political life—a practice it rarely conforms to but to which we should aspire.

Dr. Innes is far wiser than those such as former Rep. Barney Frank, quoted within as saying, ‘Government is simply the name we give to the things we choose to do together.’ Christ and the Kingdoms of Men shows that we have many ways to do things together: all who read it will learn which activities should involve government, and which should not.

—Marvin Olasky, Editor-in-chief, World magazine

David C. Innes (PhD, Boston College; MDiv, Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary) is professor of politics and chairman of the program in politics, philosophy, and economics at The King’s College.

Departing in Peace: Biblical Decision-Making at the End of Life

• Author: Bill Davis
• Publisher: P&R
• Publication Date: 2017
• Pages: 328

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

Decisions at the end of life create deep anxiety for those involved. But it is possible to find peace and comfort amid the hard choices.

As a church elder and hospital ethics consultant, Bill Davis has talked, walked, and prayed with many people in end-of-life situations. Employing varied case studies and biblical, ethical insight, he guides you in making decisions for yourself and others, preparing advance directives, taking financial concerns into account, and navigating new realities in American hospitals.

This book combines mature biblical teaching with the brass-tacks practical questions that we all face with the death of loved ones. These are the things that we don’t usually think about until they happen. I highly recommend Departing in Peace as essential preparation.

—Michael Horton, J. Gresham Machen Professor of Systematic Theology and Apologetics, Westminster Seminary California

Bill Davis (MA, Westminster Seminary California; PhD, University of Notre Dame) is professor of philosophy at Covenant College, adjunct professor of systematic theology at Reformed Theological Seminary, and an elder in the Presbyterian Church in America.

Divided We Fall: Overcoming a History of Christian Disunity

• Author: Luder G. Whitlock Jr.
• Publisher: P&R
• Publication Date: 2017
• Pages: 248

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

Throughout the centuries, Christians have longed to be united with one another—supporting each other and working in harmony. But our reality is very different, and we need only to read the New Testament to realize that disunity has been with us from the start.

What can we do to foster unity and deeper community in a world where so many relationships are fractured and fractious? Luder Whitlock Jr. explores God’s desire for unity in the church, overviews the history of global Christianity with an eye on its schisms and agreements, and points us toward the necessity of God-honoring fellowship, laying out steps we can take to increase trust and develop understanding, especially within the church.

As governments grow increasingly unsupportive of Christianity, it is even more important for us to listen to each other and work together for the common good—despite our many differences.

Luder Whitlock’s book is something of a cri de coeur for greater unity in the church. At a time when Christian leaders are almost obsessed about the culture, this book rightly argues that we will shape the broader society only to the degree that we make the Christian church what it should be. And in our present moment, the unity of the church is both a witness to the world and a necessity for its strength and vitality. Luder’s appeal comes from long experience and membership in several denominations. He marshals evidence for his contentions from the Bible, theology, history, and organizational literature. Not everyone will agree with every proposal or every argument, but overall the book makes a compelling case.

—Timothy Keller, Senior Pastor, Redeemer Presbyterian Church, New York City

Luder G. Whitlock Jr. served as president of Reformed Theological Seminary from 1978–2001, where he had previously been a professor. Today he is executive director of the CNL Charitable Foundation and the JMS Foundation; president of Excelsis; and minister at large for the First Presbyterian Church of Orlando. He and his wife, Mary Lou, have three children and eleven grandchildren.

Getting the Message: A Plan for Interpreting and Applying the Bible

• Author: Daniel M. Doriani
• Publisher: P&R
• Publication Date: 1996
• Pages: 272

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

Presents solid principles and clear examples of biblical interpretation. Doriani summarizes the main principles for interpretation in a single, easily remembered acronym: CAPTOR.

For all those who fear that the Bible is a mysterious labyrinth through which they cannot find their way, Doriani provides wonderful guidance. Written with craft and wit, this highly readable book combines great biblical insight with marvelous practical wisdom. The ‘how to’ guidelines and examples for interpreting Scripture are so clear that even those new to Scripture will say, ‘Hey I can do that, too.’ This first-rate scholar writes from a pastor’s heart to put a scriptural feast within reach of us all.

—Bryan Chapell

Daniel M. Doriani (MDiv, PhD, Westminster Theological Seminary; STM, Yale Divinity School; Research Fellow, Yale University) is professor of theology and vice president at Covenant Theological Seminary. He is the founder and president of The Center for Faith and Work, St. Louis; a member of the Council of The Gospel Coalition; and a regular blogger. He was also a lead pastor for fifteen years.

Passions of the Heart: Biblical Counsel for Stubborn Sexual Sins

• Author: John D. Street
• Publisher: P&R
• Publication Date: 2019
• Pages: 336

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

Enticed by rage, sensuality, or pride, anyone can become caught up in previously unimaginable acts. Experienced biblical counselor John Street takes a hard look at the heart idolatries that lead even Christians to commit egregious sexual sin . . . showing how to bring lasting change by identifying the underlying motivations of the heart.

Here there is hope: any sin can be forgiven, and Christ gives men and women the grace to mortify fleshly desires and to humbly live for him.

Dr. Street applies his confidence in the Scriptures from years of experience counseling those entangled in sexual sin. There is hope, and Street makes clear and practical the path to biblical freedom.

—Dale Johnson, Executive Director, Association of Certified Biblical Counselors

John D. Street (MDiv, Grand Rapids Theological Seminary; DMin, Westminster Theological Seminary) is chair of the graduate program in biblical counseling at The Master’s University and Seminary and president of the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors’ board of trustees.

Putting the Truth to Work: The Theory and Practice of Biblical Application

• Author: Daniel M. Doriani
• Publisher: P&R
• Publication Date: 2001
• Pages: 352

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

Ideal for pastors and professors, this book explains how to apply Scripture to daily life. It identifies four categories of application and shows how they function in doctrinal passages.

A great book. There is not much written that deals thoughtfully and creatively with the theory and practice of applying Scripture to today's world. Dr. Doriani's volume is sweeping in scope, attractively written, broadly comprehensive, and packed with useful insight. No serious expository preacher will want to be without this volume.

—D. A. Carson

Daniel M. Doriani (MDiv, PhD, Westminster Theological Seminary; STM, Yale Divinity School; Research Fellow, Yale University) is professor of theology and vice president at Covenant Theological Seminary. He is the founder and president of The Center for Faith and Work, St. Louis; a member of the Council of The Gospel Coalition; and a regular blogger. He was also a lead pastor for fifteen years.

Saint Peter’s Principles: Leadership for Those Who Already Know Their Incompetence

• Author: Peter A. Lillback
• Publisher: P&R
• Publication Date: 2019
• Pages: 632

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

All thoughtful leaders can admit experiences of ongoing incompetence—dilemmas, decisions, and even debacles that make them question how they became leaders in the first place.

When we look at St. Peter, however, we see a great leader who engaged with his weaknesses and knew his shortcomings. By following his example, we become better leaders in any arena.

Seminary president Peter Lillback’s profound treatment of more than 100 principles drawn from St. Peter helps you to think through your

• management style
• communication
• decision-making
• and more

Practical spiritual exercises put the lessons of each short chapter into action—bringing joy to our hearts, guidance to our lives, and help to our service.

This is a rich, wonderfully instructive and helpful compendium of wisdom on all aspects of leadership.

—Alistair Begg, Senior Pastor, Parkside Church, Bainbridge, Ohio

Peter A. Lillback is president and professor of historical theology at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia. He has served in pastoral ministry for over thirty years as well as authored books and numerous articles in the fields of the Reformation and the post-Reformation era.