New Book by Faith And The City Associate Director at ITC Advocates Larger Role for Social Sciences in Parish Ministry

Faith And The City E-Letter
Volume 2, Issue 13
November 3, 2003

Treasures in Clay Jars: New Ways to Understand Your Church, published in November 2003 by Pilgrim Press, is an introduction for ministry students to the social sciences as resources for interpreting the dynamics of local congregations.

"One of the paradigm shifts necessary for effective parish ministry is away from psychological models and toward social scientific models," explained author George B. Thompson, associate director of the Faith And The City Program at the Interdenominational Theological Center and associate professor of church administration and leadership for ITC.

"As one of many kinds of social groups in society, the local church is very complex and easily misunderstood," Thompson said. "Like any social group, local church life is more than the sum of its separate parts. The social sciences, as disciplines that emerged in the 20th century to explain various sorts of collective human phenomena, are well suited for parish application."

Disciplines such as sociology, cultural anthropology, economics, political science and organizational theory can become partners in theological education in the same way that psychology has been in pastoral care. As a new set of tools in the pastor's toolbox, according to the author, these disciplines help to reframe many common ministry situations. Relationships between individuals and the church become illuminated. Pastors--and anyone else engaged in ministry--become more strategically equipped to engage their congregations effectively.

"Although it is not a book about public ministry per se," Thompson added. "Treasures in Clay Jars offers many insights that can be extended into the intersections of church and community."

For more information on Treasure in Clay Jars, visit the Pilgrim Press website. http://www.pilgrimpress.com/getpage.cfm?file=books/book-1566X.htm