Books about Ordained from Amazon.com

Ordained ministry, says Willimon, is a gift of God to the church--but that doesn't mean that it is easy. Always a difficult vocation, changes in society and the church in recent years have made the ordained life all the more complex and challenging Is the pastor primarily a preacher, a professional caregiver, an administrator? Given the call of all Christians to be ministers to the world, what is the distinctive ministry of the ordained? When does one's ministry take on the character of prophet, and when does it become that of priest? What are the special ethical obligations and disciplines of the ordained? In this book, Willimon explores these and other central questions about the vocation of ordained ministry. He begins with a discussion of who pastors are, asking about the theological underpinnings of ordained ministry, and then moves on to what pastors do, looking at the distinctive roles the pastor must fulfill. The book also draws on great teachers of the! Christian tradition to demonstrate that, while much about Christian ministry has changed, its core concerns--preaching the word, the care of souls, the sacramental life of congregations--remains the same. Ordained ministry is a vocation to which we are called, not a profession that we choose. To answer that call is to open oneself to heartache and sometimes hardship; yet, given the one who calls, it is to make oneself available to deep and profound joy as well..
Price: $16.75 [Notify me when price goes down.]

In a time when the ordination of women is an ongoing and passionate debate, the study of women's ministry in the early church is a timely and significant one. There is much evidence from documents, doctrine, and artifacts that supports the acceptance of women as presbyters and deacons in the early church. While this evidence has been published previously, it has never before appeared in one complete English-language collection.

With this book, church historians Kevin Madigan and Carolyn Osiek present fully translated literary, epigraphical, and canonical references to women in early church offices. Through these documents, Madigan and Osiek seek to understand who these women were and how they related to and were received by, the church through the sixth century. They chart women's participation in church office and their eventual exclusion from its leadership roles. The editors introduce each document with a detailed headnote that contextualizes the text and discusses specific issues of interpretation and meaning. They also provide bibliographical notes and cross-reference original texts. Madigan and Osiek assemble relevant material from both Western and Eastern Christendom.

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Price: $29.65 [Notify me when price goes down.]

’Some of our best ’men’ are women’ ’An oft-repeated folklore tells us that Phineas Bresee, one of [our] main denominational founders, was fond of saying, ’some of our best ’men’ are women!’ Who were these women? Rebecca Laird offers a fascinating historical glimpse at 12 pioneer women ministers who helped shape the Church of the Nazarene, including: Lucy Pierece Knott Mary Lee Harris Cagle Olive M. Winchester Frances Rye McClurkan Susan Norris Fitkin These women’s lives and ministries step from the pages of the early 20th century and speak to us today with significant questions past and present. Paper..
Price: $9.78 [Notify me when price goes down.]

This book is an attempt to recover for Protestants the significance of the ordained priesthood. In the past the priesthood of the ordained has proved to be thoroughly problematic, not least for ecumenical debate. Herbert explores the ministry through an exposition of Kenotic and Trinitarian theology. He argues that the priesthood is called to announce Gods gracious saving act in Jesus Christ and so call people to respond gratefully through Christian living. At the Eucharist, argues Herbert, the priest is not the one who has the specific power of consecration but the one who is commissioned to retell the story of Gods saving act..
Price: $31.49 [Notify me when price goes down.]