Since it first appeared in print in 1959, John Doberstein's Minister's Prayer Book has been a devotional classic among Lutheran pastors. Written by a pastor for other pastors, Doberstein's work recognizes the need for the pastor to drink from a well of rich resources to sustain the spiritual vitality needed to serve faithfully in parish ministry. The fact that this manual of devotion is still available more than fifty years later is a testament to the timelessness of the collection Doberstein gathered, as well as to his own pastoral acumen. Other than a minor revision made in 1986 by Philip Pfatteicher to update the propers, there has been no attempt to bring fresh material to Doberstein's work, no attempt to update it for a new generation. Until now. This revised edition recognizes the increasingly diverse face of clergy. New resources--prayers and readings written by women, people of color, and Christians from around the world--give the collection a broader appeal. The beauty of the Minister's Prayer Book is its intentional re-centering of the pastor's calling on word and sacrament, on pastoral care, and on being fully present and engaged in the lives of God's people.
Haemig, Mary Jane: -
Mary Jane Haemig is professor of church history emerita at Luther Seminary in Saint Paul, Minnesota. She received her ThD from Harvard Divinity School in 1996. She taught at Pacific Lutheran University, Tacoma, Washington, from 1994 to 1999 and at Luther Seminary, Saint Paul, from 1999 to 2018. She focuses on the study of the Lutheran Reformation. She is the editor of The Annotated Luther volume 4, Pastoral Writings (2016), and an associate editor of the Dictionary of Luther and the Lutheran Traditions (2017). She resides in Saint Paul, Minnesota.
Halverson, Chris: -
Chris Halverson is the pastor of St. Stephen Lutheran Church in South Plainfield, New Jersey, where he and his wife Lisa live with two very Lutheran cats, appropriately named Simul and Sola. He is a graduate of the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia (now ULS). His other degrees are from the University of Cambridge (St. Edmund's College) and the University of Oregon. His previous books include Silicon Soul, Read, Reflect, Pray: A Lutheran Prayer Book, and Seeing with the Mind, Hearing with the Heart. He was born in Fargo, North Dakota, and raised in Cheyenne, Wyoming.
Harrell, Robb: -
Robb Harrell is a husband, father, and pastor in the ELCA, currently serving St. Luke Lutheran Church in McDonough, Georgia. He holds degrees from the University of Florida, Emory University (Candler School of Theology), and Columbia Theological Seminary, with additional study at the Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary. An avid reader of Thomas Merton for the past two decades, he has a passion for teaching Christian spiritual practices that shape daily life. He lives in McDonough, Georgia.
Wengert, Timothy J.: -
Timothy J. Wengert is emeritus professor of church history at the United Lutheran Seminary. He has written extensively on Luther, Melanchthon, and the Reformation, including The Augsburg Confession: Renewing Lutheran Faith and Practice (Fortress, 2020). He was coeditor, with Robert Kolb, of the English edition of the Book of Concord (Fortress, 2000) and translated Luther's Small Catechism, used throughout the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. He lives in Long Valley, New Jersey.
