Augsburg Fortress

Nurturing Hope is the most helpful book on pastoral care I have read for a long time. Few authors have Lynne M. Baab’s understanding of the changing patterns and solutions needed to provide effective care. The interweaving of story and practical advice makes this an easy-to-read, yet essential, addition to the library of all who work to provide care in church congregations.

Discerning where God is at work and communicating the loving care of God are foundational both for mission and pastoral care. Lynne M. Baab points to the why and how of cooperating with God in being present with people. She demonstrates that a deep commitment to the mission of God and to authentic pastoral care belong together. Nurturing Hope is an outstanding textbook for practitioners and students of pastoral care and chaplaincy, as well as anyone desiring to be a caring presence in their networks and relationships.

Reading this book nurtures my hope! Lynne M. Baab is a masterful, seasoned carer and teacher of caregivers, and this book benefits from her deep reservoirs of experience as a pastor, researcher, professor, and open-hearted person of faith. Nurturing Hope builds on Baab’s earlier work, offering spiritual insights and practical counsel for all people who engage in pastoral care. Anchored in Scripture and attentive to contemporary scientific and cultural analysis, this book encourages and guides us as we seek to love God with all our hearts, souls, and minds, while endeavoring to love our neighbor as ourself.

Lynne M. Baab’s Nurturing Hope: Christian Pastoral Care in the Twenty-First Century is an important and welcome publication. It expands our understanding of what constitutes pastoral care and who counts as pastoral carers in the postmodern world. Baab highlights several ways in which the field of pastoral care must take into account the diverse and complex contexts in which Christians are called to minister today, which require more intentional cultivation of lay pastoral care and greater sensitivity to cross-cultural and socioeconomic realities. She describes the way forward in pastoral care, firmly grounded in a Christian theology of care. Baab’s inclusion of concrete examples of the issues being addressed, her “training tips” and questions for reflection in each chapter, and her focus in the second part of the book on both practical and spiritual skills needed for today’s pastoral carers makes this an ideal resource for pastors, lay pastoral care teams, seminarians, and church groups of all kinds.

It’s hardly surprising that pastoral care in the twenty-first century needs to shift and adapt to the pressure points of life today. Baab offers practical wisdom about how pastors and caregivers can “open up a space for people to talk” about God and the stresses of daily living. Her grasp of pastoral care is rich and deep. She describes models of care that honor the context and web of relationships that surround people. She knows how to empower teams, laity, and clergy with skills that help others become more resilient.  She understands “pastoral care as lament” and has also seen Facebook as a place care can happen. Those seeking encouragement, insight, practices, and models for pastoral care will find this book a gift and a grace.

This book is not only about pastoral care but about the care needed for all who pastor others. As Baab reflects on the rhythms of ministry, she also reveals the rhythm of the Spirit at work in bringing wholeness, healing, and communion to the world

Lynne M. Baab’s new book challenges us to rethink what pastoral care means today for the church and the world. She prompts us to respond theologically, practically, pastorally, and missionally so that the church can really be the church in today’s society.”