About this ebook
In Pursuing Pastoral Excellence, pastoral counselor and educator Paul Hopkins aims to help pastoral leaders make a lasting and positive difference in the lives of the people and communities they serve. The heart of this book is the stories of seven ordinary pastors whose leadership has become extraordinary. Their stories not only highlight important characteristics and practices that nurture fruitful pastoral leadership, but they invite readers to examine their own stories, to think about the value of longevity in ministry, and to enhance the enduring impact of their own pastoral leadership. Hopkins frames these stories with a discussion of the difficult vocational challenges pastors are facing in a rapidly changing church milieu and a survey of recent leadership studies. He concludes by exploring seven patterns of pastoral leadership that characterize leaders who have an enduring impact, as well as four key elements coming to be recognized as imperative for the cultivation of enduring pastoral fruitfulness.
About the author
Paul E. Hopkins, D.Min., is a counselor and consultant specializing in adult and couple psychotherapy and organizational leadership. He served as President & CEO of the Samaritan Counseling Center of Albuquerque for 18 years, and currently provides psychotherapy through the Pastoral Counseling Center of Santa Fe. Dr. Hopkins is a Clinical Member of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy and a NM licensed clinical mental health counselor. He is past president of the New Mexico Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, and serves as Vice-President of the board of First Choice Community Healthcare. Granted a Doctor of Ministry degree in pastoral counseling from Christian Theological Seminary, Indianapolis, Indiana, in 1983, Hopkins is an ordained minister of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) who has served his denomination nationally as director of family ministries. He has also served as director of a court-connected counseling agency in Indianapolis and was the founding director of the Samaritan Counseling Center in Amarillo, Texas. Hopkins is author of numerous articles in professional and popular journals. He has published two books, A Different Kind of Husband (Chalice, 1992) and Pursuing Pastoral Excellence (Alban, 2011). Paul has been married for 46 years to LaDonna Janzen Hopkins, a fund-raising consultant working with a variety of nonprofit organizations. They have two adult children: Sean, a development officer for All Faiths Receiving Home in Albuquerque, and Sarah Tolch, a teacher in St. Louis.
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