Ethics In Pastoral Ministry

This book is an attempt to make a Catholic contribution to stimulate a conversation within the Catholic Church on professional ethics in pastoral ministry.--From publisher's description.

Ethics is freedom in Christ to pursue the good, true, and beautiful. Pastors regularly face concrete ethical questions. And they, too, pursue a moral life. In the busyness of ministry, it can be tempting to think pragmatically or derive one's ethics from the latest cultural concerns. But standard approaches to ethics, whether deontological, utilitarian, or virtue--ethical, all fall short of being distinctly Christian. Ethics ought to be grounded in the gospel and in our triune God. In Pastoral Ethics, W. Ross Hastings provides pastors an evangelical and trinitarian framework for moral formation and ethical discernment. For Hastings, ethics must be reclaimed as theological. Theology without ethics becomes gnosticism. Ethics without theology leads to legalism and death. Christian ethics participates in God's life and God's work. This communion with God leads to obedience to his commands as summed up in the Decalogue, and over several chapters Hastings provides a rich exposition for pastoral formation. Pastors find their identity in God, and this inspires right thinking and acting with regard to authority, life and death, sexuality, work and rest, speech, and desires. An approach to ethics that prompts faith, hope, and love, Pastoral Ethics is an essential guide for Christians in all ministry contexts.

This one-of-a-kind resource in professional ethics helps today's Christian leaders maintain a high moral character and lifestyle and sharpen their personal and professional decision-making skills. Two experienced teachers and pastors address both current and perennial ethical issues and offer guidance for developing a personal code of ethics to maintain integrity in the work of ministry. The authors address the nature of ethical decision making as well as practical areas where integrity can be compromised, including issues raised by the use of smartphones and social media. Appendixes include codes of ethics from various denominations.

Ministerial Ethics provides both new and experienced pastors with tools for sharpening their personal and professional decision-making skills. The authors seek to explain the unique moral role of the minister and the ethical responsibilities of the vocation and to provide "a clear statement of the ethical obligations contemporary clergy should assume in their personal and professional lives." Trull and Carter deal with such areas as family life, confidentiality, truth-telling, political involvement, working with committees, and relating to other church staff members. First published in 1993, this edition has been thoroughly updated throughout and contains expanded sections on theological foundations, the role of character, confidentiality, and the timely topic of clergy sexual abuse. Appendices describing various denominational ministerial codes of ethics are included.

At a time when concerns for misconduct, abuse scandals, and liability have brought pastoral ministers under greater scrutiny than ever before and have threatened to undermine their morale, Just Ministry offers a positive perspective on the vocation of pastoral ministry and wise ethical guidance to foster integrity in ministry. This is a helpful training and evaluative resource for those involved in pastoral ministry as ordained clergy, religious, or lay ministers. Key concepts are illustrated through case studies and practical strategies for acquiring and developing virtues, as well as preventative education for pastoral ministry in avoiding misconduct. By examining the professional aspects of a ministerial vocation, this book provides a guide for ministers to be accountable in offering their pastoral service with expert knowledge and skill and with good moral character. It builds upon a theology of vocation, a covenantal model of ministry, and a vision of professional identity. Book jacket.

Named "One of the Top Ten Books for Parish Clergy" for the year 2006 by the Academy of Parish Clergy! Gentle Shepherding offers a rare balance in an introduction to pastoral ethics, one that identifies deeply with the pastoral vocation and brings it into conversation with a developed body of ethical theory. The goal of the book is to equip seminarians and pastors with conceptual resources for clarifying moral responsibility in the practice of ministry. This responsibility includes three levels: the minister as a moral agent in offering care; the minister as a moral enabler in encouraging virtue in others; and the minister as a moral leader in facilitating congregational life and witness in society. Helping ministers and seminarians to think anew about their responsibilities and the moral quandaries in pastoral practice, Gentle Shepherding integrates theory with practice, providing case material for further reflection and discussion and at least one case study or exercise associated with each chapter.

"This introduction to ethical reflection traces the long developing alienation between psychology and religious ethics. It also offers a concrete model of practical moral thinking than can help to reverse that movement and restore pastoral care as the bridge between theological and the psychological disciplines. Students and practitioners in the psychological and social sciences can learn much here about their own implicit ethical concerns. Ministers and congregations will value theologically and psychodynamically integrated approach to care, counseling, and the maintenance of a meaningful world."--from back cover.

This book offers an account of the moral foundations of pastoral ethics and the underlying interpersonal dynamics that make the practice of ministry powerful--and also morally dangerous, even for those with the best of intentions. Sondra Wheeler examines the personal disciplines and spiritual practices that help sustain safe ministry, including the essential practices of prayer and spiritual accountability. She equips ministers to abide by ethical standards when they come under pressure and offers practical strategies for navigating challenges. The author also stresses personal vulnerability and "unselfish self-care."