Study Questions

Book: Eclov, Lee. Pastoral Graces: Reflections on the Care of Souls. Chicago: Moody Publishers, 2012.

1. Reflect on God's call in your life, especially the periods of questioning and doubt through which you may have been led. Do you have any special thoughts or insights on that process, now that you are in Divinity training?

2. How do you respond to being under authority?

3. What are your thoughts about becoming an authority figure, exercising moral, spiritual, influential, and organizational authority?

4. How do you plan to grow in wisdom as you provide ministry?

5. Which of the examples of public grace especially resonate with you?

6. What is your plan to grow in the grace of effective public prayer, in the face of the "Evangelical Prayer Voice" that speaks in "Baby Babble Prayers"?

7. How will you practice "Ministry By Walking Around" in your ministry?

8. What elements of "portable grace" do you think will work best for you (not limited to those in the book)?

9. Talk about how you can "paint with the colors God gives us" in the ministry in which you see yourself.

10. Do you tend to be a "Yes" person or a "No" person? How can you minister God's "Yes" in Christ to people in your ministry?

11. How can you discern where someone is in their journey of recovery from sin's brokenness, and bring grace and equipping to that person?

12. What are some ways you can bring grace, peace, and healing into situations of conflict in a ministry?

13. Do you believe that you can RECEIVE ministry in your chosen ministry position? How can you accomplish this?

14. How will you sit under great preaching in order to become a better preacher, be mentored by a great counselor in order to become a better counselor, and so forth? Do you have the humility and the intentionality to do these things regularly?

15. How will you best "help make people homesick for Heaven" in your ministry?

16. Think about the markers of ministry success that GOD values. What do you think He will want to see in your life and ministry as you become experienced in the practice of ministry?