08095
February 7, 2008

Pastors’ primer

New handbook designed to provide ministers ‘helpful tips for coping’

by Toya Richards Hill
Presbyterian News Service

LOUISVILLE – A version of the primer for all things Presbyterian has been released for pastors.

The Presbyterian Handbook for Pastors, published by Presbyterian Publishing Corporation’s imprint Geneva Press, was released in January. The book comes on the heels of its predecessor, The Presbyterian Handbook, which focuses on Presbyterian culture and theology and has sold approximately 250,000 copies since its January 2006 release.

With information covering everything from call and administrative matters, to pastoral care and worship, the compact Presbyterian Handbook for Pastors acts as a ready reference guide for ministry leadership.

“How to Know When It’s Time to Find a New Call,” “How to Run a Staff Meeting,” “How to Make an Effective Hospital Visit,” and “How to Keep Both Your Job and Your Family” are just some of the issues covered in the book.

“The Presbyterian Handbook for Pastors peels back the veil from this most holy and earthly profession to reveal everyday situations that every pastor encounters and to provide some helpful tips for coping,” the book’s editors say in its preface.

“But these tips are offered with a healthy dose of humor … because the call to pastoral ministry can be, at times, not much fun,” they go on to say.

For example, included in the “Pastoral Stuff” section is information on “How to Listen to the Same Story for the 100th Time and Feign Interest.”

The book is “geared around leadership questions,” but also “it’s light, it’s easy to read,” said the Rev. David L. Maxwell, acquisitions editor for the Presbyterian Publishing Corporation.

He said in addition to pastors, and particularly new ones, the handbook also is relevant for sessions and other church leaders, “especially as more and more elders are assuming leadership in worship.”

Though it’s too early to tell about sales of the new book, Maxwell pointed to strong sales of the first handbook, done in collaboration with Augsburg Fortress, as a guide for what could happen with this version.

“The original one was just gobbled up,” he said. “It’s been one of our best sellers.”