A Pastoral Rule for Today – Reviving an Ancient Practice

John P. Burgess (PhD, University of Chicago) is James Henry Snowden Professor of Systematic Theology at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. He is the author of several books, including Holy Rus': The Rebirth of Orthodoxy in the New Russia, Encounters with Orthodoxy: How Protestant Churches Can Reform Themselves Again, and Why Scripture Matters: Reading the Bible in a Time of Church Conflict. Jerry Andrews (PhD, University of Chicago) is the pastor of First Presbyterian Church in San Diego, California. He graduated from the Detroit Bible College (BRE), Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (MDiv), Princeton Theological Seminary (ThM), the University of Pittsburgh (MA in Classics), and the University of Chicago (PhD in the Ancient Mediterranean World). Joseph D. Small is the retired director of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Office of Theology and Worship. He is the author of several books, including To Be Reformed: Living the Tradition, Proclaiming the Great Ends of the Church, Conversations With the Confessions, and God and Ourselves: A Brief Exercise in Reformed Theology.

Acknowledgments

Introduction: Why Pastors Need a Rule

1. The Grace of Theological Friendships: Augustine

2. "The Work of Obedience": Benedict

3. The Holiness That Stoops to Serve: Gregory the Great

4. "All the Ministers Shall Meet Together": John Calvin

5. Choosing Your Words Carefully: John Wesley

6. The Pastor's Study: John Henry Newman

7. The Gift of Physical Presence: Dietrich Bonhoeffer

8. A Contemporary Pastoral Rule

Conclusion: Developing and Practicing a Pastoral Rule

Scripture Index