Gary Neal Hansen

Theology. It's good for you.

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You are here: Home / Archives for Ministry

Pastoral Timing and Faith-Sized Steps (Letters to a Young Pastor)

January 12, 2017 by Gary Neal Hansen 2 Comments

pastoral timing and faith-sized steps

Dear ______: You asked a good question about my advice on being a pastor in dicey political times. Doesn’t there come a time for being more direct? Don’t you need to speak out against such abominable sins as racism that leads to violence, xenophobia that stops people from loving their actual neighbors, and sexism that excuses […]

Filed Under: Ministry, Theology Tagged With: Faith-sized steps, Pastoral timing

Being a Pastor in Dicey Political Times (Letters to a Young Pastor)

December 29, 2016 by Gary Neal Hansen 5 Comments

Being a Pastor in Dicey Political Times

Dear ______: Ah yes, the political question. How do you be a pastor to a congregation in dicey political times? You are wise to consider this now, while you are in seminary. But don’t be surprised if, down the road, the dynamics life with an actual congregation prompt you to deal with it differently than you plan to. […]

Filed Under: Ministry

How to Take Notes While You Read (Letters to a Young Pastor)

December 8, 2016 by Gary Neal Hansen Leave a Comment

take notes while you read

Dear ______: As Sherlock would say, excellent observation, my dear Watson: My strategies for reading the texts assigned to you in your seminary classes are not always enough to make sure you learn what you need to learn. To learn from your reading you need to do more than let your eyes pass over the words. […]

Filed Under: Ministry, Seminary, Uncategorized Tagged With: Letters to a Young Pastor, marginalia, Taking notes while you read

Reading for Reflection (Letters to a Young Pastor)

December 1, 2016 by Gary Neal Hansen Leave a Comment

Reading for Reflection

Dear ______: Sorry to be out of touch for a few weeks. I decided to participate in NaNoWriMo this year — National Novel Writing Month. I’m now officially a novelist, with a rough draft of 55,000 words in hand. But I’m behind in my correspondence And thanks for the reminder that there are other, less […]

Filed Under: books, Ministry Tagged With: Desert Fathers, Nouwen, Reflection

Why You Should Read Popularizations (Letters to a Young Pastor)

November 10, 2016 by Gary Neal Hansen 6 Comments

Reading popularizations

Dear ______: I’ve been trying to help you rethink the process of reading when it comes to your course assignments in seminary. This is actually long term advice: whatever kind of work you end up doing, you’ll learn more of what you need day by day if you know how to make quick work of […]

Filed Under: Ministry, Seminary, Theology Tagged With: C.S. Lewis, Here I Stand, Mere Christianity, Online Reading Group, reading popularizations, Roland Bainton

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Theology. It’s good for you.

I'm a Church historian by trade. My writing, speaking, and teaching explores the Christian past to equip today's disciples. Join me here for regular posts on the best of theology, spirituality, community, and ministry. read more…

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