The Care of Souls

The Care of Souls: Cultivating a Pastor's Heart, Harold L. Senkbeil (Lexham, 2019)

Senkbiel writes with a very high view of pastoral ministry. He esteems it as an honour and privilege to be part of, and wants those in ministry to be well equipped by their love of God in Christ, and how that should impact every aspect of their lives.

He starts with a deeply encouraging definition of what a pastor is. He notes the benefit of developing habits and learning from ongoing practice, the work of the spirit in our own and other’s lives, and the joy that comes from the work of pastoring. I felt refreshed and spurred on, rather than overwhelmed at yet another definition of ministry. What was comforting was the reminder that it’s understandable that you will feel ill-equipped, but keep practicing. Yet this is a vocation to be taken seriously, for souls are at stake.

He has a strong view of the power of God’s word to comfort, heal, challenge and sustain. Those in ministry are to uphold his word, and speak it to others in a way that cares, comforts, and gives light. Turning to the specific concept of soul care he suggests that it has two phases - attentive diagnosis and intentional treatment, and that much of soul care operates in the realm of sanctification.

I found the early chapters to be encouraging, refreshing, and challenging. Unfortunately, I felt it dragged in the middle. Chapters and ideas began to feel repetitive, and the whole book was longer than it needed to be. He finished with wisdom for pastors on how to be pastored themselves, both through the ministry of others and by developing personal habits that grow, encourage and nurture. He had wise comments about current times compared to the past and how pastors need to understand the culture and climate they are in, without longing for previous days. Throughout the book he uses farming analogies, having grown up on a farm (in the 1950s) and seeing the links of between the life of a farmer on the land, and the habitus of ministry. I appreciated the analogies and they were well explained, but they won’t work for everyone, especially those who have had no rural exposure to anything.

Senkbeil is Lutheran, and this comes through strongly. He has a very high view of baptism and communion, elevating them to almost to be equal with the power of God’s word. That is, they are the illustrative elements of the power of the gospel to redeem and save. It was good to think this through further, for my tendency is to have a less exalted view of both. Yet, there were also areas that felt close to Catholicism: praying to a crucifix, considering the pastor as able to forgive sins, and the power of the bread and wine in the Lord's supper. In addition, he has a very high view of the pastor, and their power to proclaim the truths of God in people's lives. My guess is this partially comes from an elevated view of ordination and what it endows to the minister. I certainly remember feeling the weight of the promises Husband made before God at his ordinations. 

The other thing that stood out was the focus on male clergy. While the introduction says the book is for men or women, clergy or lay; functionally and linguistically it is written for ordained men. Chapters about sexual sin or temptation generally assumed that those challenges are faced only by men (whether clergy or the congregants). I really found this disappointing, for there are so many in pastoral ministry roles who could be helped by this book, but will likely be excluded by the narrow focus.

I can certainly see why this book has been so well received, being the 2019 Gospel Coalition Ministry Book of the Year and a Christianity Today Book Awards winner. It will certainly elevate your view of pastoral ministry and soul care. Yet, I wish it was more concise, and was written with a wider acknowledgement of the range of men and women in pastoral ministry roles today.