Fortress Press

"In Lay Pastoral Care: A Narrative Approach, Christie Cozad Neuger and Joretta Marshall use the narrative method to offer parish pastors a unique resource for reinvigorating lay­people's participation in congregational pastoral care. Drawing upon the insights of narrative therapy theory and collabora­tive learning, they create a model for training and overseeing lay caregiver networks that is guaranteed to stimulate and maintain interest and greater participation in the ministry of congregational pastoral care. This approach will be life­ giving and sustaining for both care companions and care seekers. As a seminary professor who teaches on lay pastoral care, I believe this book is a must­ read."

"Joretta Marshall and Christie Cozad Neuger have written a timely book. In consideration of current traumatic experiences and continual grief and loss, they recognize that the work of caring for God's people cannot be done alone. They write with passion, using the lens of narrative theory and conveying deep understanding of the spiritual significance of community engagement in the care of souls. Consistent with the narrative approach to communal care long used in African American pastoral care, Marshall and Neuger foster new under standings of collaborative learning communities. The authors provide practical tools and rituals that can be used in a variety of con­gregational and community settings. They recognize that lay spiritual caregiving is at the heart of the church. Partnering is important. Reciprocal involvement with congregational leaders and parishioners is essential. But more important, lay involvement is crucial, and educating and equipping lay­persons is vital. This book is indeed needed--for such a time as this."

"After contributing to pastoral care literature over many decades, Marshall and Neuger offer another exciting collabora­tion. Their new book on narrative lay pastoral care belongs in all pastoral care conversations in seminary classrooms, church lay leader trainings, and communities of faith seeking mutual support in a world that needs healing."

"In these days of recovery from the unprecedented psychic stress of a global pandemic and the many isolations and adap­tations it has required of us all, combined with the spiraling demands for mental health services in a society longing for healing from divisions, the wisdom and experience Marshall and Neuger bring to the conversation about culturally compe­tent and spiritually relevant pastoral care for our time is needed now more than ever. Their reflections speak to our human con­dition and our need for coherence, connection, and hope."

"Deeply grounded in the authors' experiences developing and nurturing lay pastoral care ministry, Lay Pastoral Care: A Narrative Approach is a must­ read book for anyone who is com­mitted to cocreating life­ giving networks of care in congrega­tions. The most profound value of this book, which is rich in practical resources and tools, is the clarity of the theological and psychological convictions that situate lay pastoral care in the mission of the church. The text is animated by the authors' down­ to­ earth descriptions of the attitudes and choices that enable diverse expressions of lay pastoral­ care networks to grow and thrive. I hope this book will be required reading for all who are responsible to equip the priesthood of all believers for ministries of care in the congregation and in the world."

"Through all the years I have trained laypeople in the skills of pastoral care, this is the training resource I've been search­ing for! Rich in narrative theory, yet approachable to anyone wishing to develop their caring abilities, this book promises to transform congregations through a consultative empower­ment model of care that relies on the strengths and gifts of every person. It will be a welcomed gift to any community desiring to mobilize its members in skillful, caring response to the many precarities and vulnerabilities we face. I am eager to introduce this book to my own communities!"

"A gentle, wise, and generative book. It provides a practical way to nurture and sustain profound connections among con­gregants and in the broader community. Neuger and Marshall place laypeople at the heart of ministries of care, providing concrete resources for those who value empowering, collabo­rative relationships. An instant classic."