Wayne L Menking

The powers of death are closer than we thought. Their perils appear in the forms of increased gun violence, racism, economic disparity, and global warming, to name but a few. Faced with these threats, Christians in this self-absorbed culture tend to use their faith as a kind of palliative comfort that protects them from the truths of what these powers are doing to us as a human community, and the sufferings they are inflicting on others, particularly the poor and the disenfranchised. Moreover, it is used to shield them from responding to the gospel's call to leave survival for vocation. Using Luther's theology of the cross and the instruction he imparts in his Large Catechism, this book asserts that in the face of the sufferings in which we are situated, the gospel news of Jesus's resurrection is a call to stand in its hope and power to resist these devastations and the dehumanization, exploitation, and domination they inflict. The hope of God's life-giving creativity in the face of the powers of death is given witness when Christians leave survival modes of existence to be in their baptismal vocation of loving neighbors as themselves.

The powers of death are closer than we thought. Their perils appear in the forms of increased gun violence, racism, economic disparity, and global warming, to name but a few. Faced with these threats, Christians in this self-absorbed culture tend to use their faith as a kind of palliative comfort that protects them from the truths of what these powers are doing to us as a human community, and the sufferings they are inflicting on others, particularly the poor and the disenfranchised. Moreover, it is used to shield them from responding to the gospel's call to leave survival for vocation. Using Luther's theology of the cross and the instruction he imparts in his Large Catechism, this book asserts that in the face of the sufferings in which we are situated, the gospel news of Jesus's resurrection is a call to stand in its hope and power to resist these devastations and the dehumanization, exploitation, and domination they inflict. The hope of God's life-giving creativity in the face of the powers of death is given witness when Christians leave survival modes of existence to be in their baptismal vocation of loving neighbors as themselves.

The Care of Souls is a collection of essays and short reflections on the art of pastoral supervision in the clinical pastoral education (CPE) learning process. The essays focus on different aspects of supervisory theory, and are juxtaposed with reflections on the raw helplessness of both the patient and the chaplain, which can occur at the bedside. This collection highlights the critical importance of self-awareness, the inexact art of caring, and the hard necessity of listening to another person's pain. ""Logan's collection of writings pulls back the curtain to reveal perceptive insights into the art of pastoral supervision. These reflections showcase his years of experience as a creative and astute pastoral educator through the nimbleness of his intellect and depth of compassion for the human experience. Logan's work, which can read as monograph and meditation, is edifying and moving for aspiring and seasoned practitioners."" --Peggy Davis Gold, Department of Chaplain Services and Education, Duke University Hospital ""Clinical pastoral education is difficult to describe and hard to understand unless one has experienced the process. Logan Jones provides insight in The Care of Souls that will illuminate the path for students, clergy, and educators who are learning and teaching the art of spiritual care. He honors theories, sacred texts, and personal reflection as well as the mystery and chaos that can lead to transformed lives. It reflects his authenticity and care."" --Mary Ann Boothe, Supervisor, Department of Spiritual Care, WakeMed Health & Hospitals, Raleigh, North Carolina ""Logan Jones tells a good story. And he has a true gift for making complex theory accessible. In The Care of Souls, he draws first upon one talent, then another, so that the book's very structure supports his central tenet of pastoral supervision: it is about the integration of heart and head, of personal narrative with the skills and arts of spiritual care. Logan's life, as pastor and as educator, shines through."" --Jay Foster, Vice President of Spiritual Care, Chaplaincy, and Congregational Partnerships, Indiana University Health ""This book should be in the hands of everyone who seeks to minister and care for the soul of another. Jones presents both the complexity and simplicity of ministry to those in suffering. While bringing an understanding of how to care for another, he helps us to understand ourselves more fully. As I read Jones's insight in The Care of Souls, I found care for my own soul and you will too "" --Joel Ray, Vice President, Patient Care Services, and Chief Nursing Officer, UNC REX Healthcare Logan C. Jones is the director of Pastoral Care Services and is an ACPE certified educator at UNC REX Healthcare in Raleigh, North Carolina. Ordained in the Moravian Church, he is the author of two books of poetry, No Man's Land and Last Call.

The Care of Souls is a collection of essays and short reflections on the art of pastoral supervision in the clinical pastoral education (CPE) learning process. The essays focus on different aspects of supervisory theory, and are juxtaposed with reflections on the raw helplessness of both the patient and the chaplain, which can occur at the bedside. This collection highlights the critical importance of self-awareness, the inexact art of caring, and the hard necessity of listening to another person's pain. ""Logan's collection of writings pulls back the curtain to reveal perceptive insights into the art of pastoral supervision. These reflections showcase his years of experience as a creative and astute pastoral educator through the nimbleness of his intellect and depth of compassion for the human experience. Logan's work, which can read as monograph and meditation, is edifying and moving for aspiring and seasoned practitioners."" --Peggy Davis Gold, Department of Chaplain Services and Education, Duke University Hospital ""Clinical pastoral education is difficult to describe and hard to understand unless one has experienced the process. Logan Jones provides insight in The Care of Souls that will illuminate the path for students, clergy, and educators who are learning and teaching the art of spiritual care. He honors theories, sacred texts, and personal reflection as well as the mystery and chaos that can lead to transformed lives. It reflects his authenticity and care."" --Mary Ann Boothe, Supervisor, Department of Spiritual Care, WakeMed Health & Hospitals, Raleigh, North Carolina ""Logan Jones tells a good story. And he has a true gift for making complex theory accessible. In The Care of Souls, he draws first upon one talent, then another, so that the book's very structure supports his central tenet of pastoral supervision: it is about the integration of heart and head, of personal narrative with the skills and arts of spiritual care. Logan's life, as pastor and as educator, shines through."" --Jay Foster, Vice President of Spiritual Care, Chaplaincy, and Congregational Partnerships, Indiana University Health ""This book should be in the hands of everyone who seeks to minister and care for the soul of another. Jones presents both the complexity and simplicity of ministry to those in suffering. While bringing an understanding of how to care for another, he helps us to understand ourselves more fully. As I read Jones's insight in The Care of Souls, I found care for my own soul and you will too "" --Joel Ray, Vice President, Patient Care Services, and Chief Nursing Officer, UNC REX Healthcare Logan C. Jones is the director of Pastoral Care Services and is an ACPE certified educator at UNC REX Healthcare in Raleigh, North Carolina. Ordained in the Moravian Church, he is the author of two books of poetry, No Man's Land and Last Call.

The condition of stuck is a condition well known by pastoral caregivers and leaders. In When All Else Fails, Wayne Menking argues that the way out of stuckness is not through the acquisition of faddish techniques, but through a deep rethinking of our pastoral vocation and what our pastoral work is to be about. Pastoral care and leadership are not indistinguishable, just as priestly work can never be separated from prophetic work. They are always one and the same. Pastoral care and leadership, then, are not about helping people relieve their anxiety through the offering of palliative comfort, but rather helping people to engage the powers that have hold of their life so as to leave what is old for what is new. In this engagement, the caregiver will always encounter powers against which niceness and unconditional love will not work. Using biblical images and narratives that depict God as a deeply empathic and compassionate God, yet one who is never adaptively sympathetic, Menking asserts that pastoral caregivers and leaders must shed their niceness and adaptivity so as to employ their God-given power if they are to help people effectively leave what is old for what is new.