David J. Hansen

Named one of the Top Ten Books of 1994 by the Academy of Parish Clergy! What should a pastor do? What makes a pastor good or effective? What is a pastor, after all? Hundreds of books, tapes, workshops and seminars promise to answer these impossible questions. Some offer a set of practical guidelines; others suggest a system or pattern to follow. Some stress various ministry functions; others feature case studies as models of success or failure. Some are helpful. Others are not. But in The Art of Pastoring, David Hansen turns pastoral self-help programs on their heads. He tackles the perennial questions from within his own experience. From the Inside Out Hansen's fresh, bold narrative grows from nearly a decade of ministry. He draws you into his life and into the lives of Florence-Victor Parish in the mountains of Montana, including unforgettable encounters with unforgettable people--a stubborn pioneer woman who still chops her own firewood though she's blind and 90 years old, a championship rodeo cowboy who was baptized in his boots, and many more. Hansen's goal is to help you discover "that pastoral ministry is a life, not a technology . . . [that] life as a pastor is far more than the sum of the tasks I carry out. It is a call from God that involves my whole life." From Calling to Living Parable Every pastor has encountered those who struggle to hear God's voice in a hospital room, who reach for Jesus in the sacraments. No systematic answers can meet their deep, eternal needs. What can touch them, Hansen contends, is a life itself, a life lived as a parable of Jesus. "As a parable of Jesus Christ," Hansen writes, "I deliver something to the parishioner that I am not, and in the process I deliver the parishioner into the hands of God." It is this knack for getting to the heart of things that makes The Art of Pastoring valuable for pastors in any setting--rural, suburban or urban. Parachurch workers, missionaries, church leaders and ministry volunteers will also find inspiration here. Even if you haven't yet been involved in full-time ministry, Hansen's book will be eye-opening. You'll see your own pastor differently as a result. And you'll discover how you too can be a living parable of Jesus Christ in the lives of your family, coworkers, friends and neighbors.

The Art of Pastoring

Peter J. Norton

Douglas W. Nangle

Cynthia A. Erdley

Social skills are at the core of mental health, so much so that deficits in this area are a criterion of clinical disorders, across both the developmental spectrum and the DSM. The Practitioner’s Guide to Empirically-Based Measures of Social Skills gives clinicians and researchers an authoritative resource reflecting the ever growing interest in social skills assessment and its clinical applications. This one-of-a-kind reference approaches social skills from a social learning perspective, combining conceptual background with practical considerations, and organized for easy access to material relevant to assessment of children, adolescents, and adults. The contributors’ expert guidance covers developmental and diversity issues, and includes suggestions for the full range of assessment methods, so readers can be confident of reliable, valid testing leading to appropriate interventions. Key features of the Guide: An official publication of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies Describes empirically-based assessment across the lifespan. Provides in-depth reviews of nearly 100 measures, their administration and scoring, psychometric properties, and references. Highlights specific clinical problems, including substance abuse, aggression, schizophrenia, intellectual disabilities, autism spectrum disorders, and social anxiety. Includes at-a-glance summaries of all reviewed measures. Offers full reproduction of more than a dozen measures for children, adolescents, and adults, e.g. the Interpersonal Competence Questionnaire and the Teenage Inventory of Social Skills. As social skills assessment and training becomes more crucial to current practice and research, the Practitioner’s Guide to Empirically-Based Measures of Social Skills is a steady resource that clinicians, researchers, and graduate students will want close at hand.

David J. Hansen

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