Pastoral Theology ─ Theological Foundations for Who a Pastor Is and What He Does

While many pastoral ministry books focus on the practical duties of the pastor, few works actually consider how theological truth defines the pastor’s role and responsibilities. These pragmatic ministry tools, though instructionally beneficial, essentially divorce biblical doctrine from ministerial practice. As a result, pastors’ lives and ministries often lack the theological roots that provide the stability and nourishment necessary to sustain them.

Pastoral Theology constructs a theological framework for pastoral ministry that is biblically derived, historically informed, doctrinally sound, missionally engaged, and contextually relevant. By using traditional theological categories the authors explore the correlation between evangelical doctrine and pastoral practice. Through careful theological integration they formulate a ministry philosophy that defines the pastoral office and determines its corresponding responsibilities in light of theological truth.

The authors provide a theological understanding of the pastorate that will equip aspiring pastors to discern and pursue their calling, challenge younger pastors to build on ministerial truth instead of ministerial trends, and inspire seasoned pastors to be reinvigorated in their passion for Christ and his church. 

R. Scott Pace is the Rev. A. E. and Dora Hughes Chair of Christian Ministry and chair of the Christian and Cross-Cultural Ministry Department at Oklahoma Baptist University in Shawnee, OK.
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Daniel L. Akin is the Ed Young Sr. Chair of Expository Preaching, professor of preaching & theology, and president at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, NC.