Transforming Pastoral Leadership: Reimagining Congregational Relationships for Changing Contexts

By Quentin P. Kinnison and Mark Lau Branson

For many congregations, change creates discomfort. Pastoral leaders are often expected to be experts who manage and control realities beyond their expertise, experience, and ability. That expectation, a product of modern approaches to leadership, views the pastor as responsible for maintaining the status quo. Transforming Pastoral Leadership responds to this context by challenging readers to rediscover key biblical themes around the shepherding metaphor as well as key theological themes steeped in our historical faith narratives. Readers are challenged to consider the origins of our dominant leadership practices and to reconsider how Christ's preeminence as the leader of his church requires us to reconstruct leadership practices that are faithful to his preeminence. To assist congregations, Transforming Pastoral Leadership suggests two processes that might help congregations discern God's missional promptings as they move forward into God's future and experience conflict as opportunities for transformation.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Pickwick Publications
• Release date: May 20, 2016
• ISBN: 9781532600289

Quentin P. Kinnison

Quentin P. Kinnison is licensed in both the American Baptist Convention and the Southern Baptist Convention, holding over twenty-five years of congregational experience in various ministry positions. Currently Dr. Kinnison is Associate Professor of Christian Ministry at Fresno Pacific University and serves as the Biblical & Religious Studies Division chairperson. He was distinguished with the Nickel Excellence in Teaching Award (NETA) in 2013, the Fresno Pacific University President's Distinguished Service award in 2014, and an Alphi-Chi Inspirational Teacher recognition in 2016. He also serves as an Affiliate Faculty member for Fuller Theological Seminary. In addition to ministry courses, Kinnison teaches a theology of disability course for the Special Education program at Fresno Pacific University. Family time is precious and he enjoys gardening, cooking, basketball, golf, strategy games (i.e., Pente, Chess), reading, and watching SciFi.

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