From Amazon Review

Pastoral progression, June 25, 2005
Reviewer: "FrKurt Messick" (Bloomington, IN USA)

John Patton's book, 'From Ministry to Theology: Pastoral Action and Reflection', is in many ways a perfect book for me to have picked up and read at this time - I am currently a chaplain intern in a CPE programme, doing in many ways exactly what Patton calls upon ministers to do - act, and then reflect upon those actions. The substance of this reflection should be more than emotional, but also theological and spiritual, as such is the centre of the meaning of ministry. 'Although theological reflection on pastoral practice is important, there may be considerable resistance to doing it,' Patton observes - some may find it too difficult, others think that it takes too much time that should otherwise be devoted to more pastoral activity. Conversely, some may think that it is too easy, or something that can be done in the midst of 'actually doing something'.

Patton writes about the difficulty most people have at assigning meaning to the stories of their lives - often an autobiographical sketch, be it written or orally shared, ends up being a listing of facts that are rather disjointed from any particular feelings one might have. Patton mentions the CPE process of using verbatims and reflection (drawing in Seward Hiltner here), but comments that the process of making meaning should not be limited to those in such formal courses of study. 'Sharing and learning from those events in our lives that seem to be "meaning-full" is important for our development as persons and as Christians.' This necessarily involves the imagination, more so than we are normally accustomed to doing; imagination in turn touches on the three essential elements of pastoral care - action, relationship and meaning.

Patton develops this in a three-chapter framework. The first chapter, 'Event and Imagination', looks at sharing in different ways, exploring psychologically and philosophically the kinds of phenomenological aspects of events and perception, and how these can stimulate creative imaginings. This ties into modern psychotherapy, and also looks at sociological issues of community-building and shared meaning. The idea of bracketing is introduced here. Perhaps the very last statement in this chapter is the most significant; Patton says that there is a natural tendency to elevate the emergency call or the person in need to a priority over theological reflection. 'The fact that it is secondary, however, does not mean that it is not important.'

In the second chapter, Patton develops the idea of the importance of community in ministry. This involves an appreciation for communities of origin, which can mean both genogrammatic sharing as well as deeper story-sharing and myth/parabolic inclusion. It also involves understanding the differences we have from those origins (Patton writes of an assignment groups have had entitled 'How I am Separating from My Faith Family of Origin'). Dealing with pastoral practice involves an appreciation of oneself, so that one may understanding and deal with change, risk, and relationships that go beyond words.

In the third chapter, Patton looks at action and interpretation more directly - he places a value on the slow nature of such processes, and highlights some examples of verbatims and personal narratives the grow into significance. He references Hiltner again, his idea of the ministry of sustaining, allowing for God to have a place in the imagination even in the event of no substantial physical healing. He also develops a significant theology of ministry methodology without giving a pat or canned answer about 'what is a theology of ministry'. He uses two very powerful stories as examples, one in which a black man deals with a troublesome patient (while dealing with his own issues around the situation), and one in which another man deals with a baptism request for a stillborn child. How these are dealt with by the individuals, and then reflected upon by the groups, is very powerful.

This is not light reading - for example, the chapter on action and interpretation draws on ideas from Whitehead, Wittgenstein, Kant, Ricoeur, Brueggemann, Rahner and more; some of the discussions on experience and phenomenology tend to get very theoretical. However, this all serves to provide a foundation for the reflection on ministry that is so sorely needed.

Patton provides in the first appendix a three-fold pattern for thinking theologically about pastoral events which includes developing community or environments for such thinking, taking one's own comfort level to the place where 'playing' with ideas imaginatively can begin, and finally discovering what is truly meaning-full for all concerned. Patton's second appendix develops a system for getting adults to build the kind of group or community where this kind of experience and reflection can be done.

This is a very valuable book, a real blessing to one in CPE or ministry situations.

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Abingdon Pr (November, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0687136547
• Product Dimensions: 0.5 x 5.8 x 8.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces.