Wesley Theological Seminary

God's call is bold. Your seminary should be, too.

Menu
  • Study
    • What Wesley degree Is right for me?
    • Masters Degrees
      • Masters of Divinity
        • UMC Requirements
      • Masters of Arts
      • Masters of Theological Studies
      • Close
    • Field Education: Practice in Ministry and Mission
    • Student Pastor Program
    • Doctor of Ministry
    • Non-degree
    • Certificate in Children and Youth Ministry & Advocacy (CYMA)
    • National Capital Semester
    • Faith and Public Life Immersion for Undergraduates
    • Course of Study
    • Resources
      • My Wesley
      • Academic Catalog
      • Course Schedule
      • Library
      • Student Writing Center
      • Office of the Reigstrar
      • Local Churches
      • Close
    • Close
  • Discover
    • Welcome!
    • Admissions
    • Choose a Wesley degree as unique as your call…
    • Virtual Visit or Webinar
    • About Us
    • Community Life
      • Wesley Safety and Regulatory Information
      • CARES Act Emergency Financial Aid for Students
      • Chapel Worship
      • Close
    • News and Events
    • Current Openings
    • Community Engagement Institute
    • The Lewis Center
    • The Luce Center
    • Partners Schools and Programs
    • Faculty
      • Faculty Directory
      • Adjunct Faculty
      • From The Dean
      • Department Directory
      • Close
    • Close
  • Apply
    • Try A Class At Wesley
    • Office of the Registrar
      • Academic Catalog
      • Academic Calendar
      • Close
    • Student Information
      • Course of Study
      • International Students
      • Housing
      • Close
    • Financial Aid
    • Apply Now
    • Close
  • Request Info
  • Alumni
  • Give
  • My Wesley

In his new book “Practical Theology in Church and Society,” Dr. Joseph Bush Jr., Wesley’s director of Practice in Ministry and Mission, offers current and future ministers a rich, reflective look at the challenges of entering a new community.

“The first half of the book is very much focused on individual experience,” he said. “It’s looking at the experience of individuals as they enter into ministries of different kinds and as they engage with actual communities.”

The second half of the book invites the reader to reflect more deeply on those experiences and to expand upon them. “It begins very simply,” Bush said. “Then it becomes increasingly complex as you move forward.”

That evolution is evident in the book’s graphics, which present the reader with solitary elements of a reflective model, and then layers upon each until a reflective compass emerges, with points designating “Society,” “Christianity,” “Practice,” and “Reflection.”

“I invite readers to do their own reflection using that grid, starting from wherever they are,” Bush said. “The result is an increasing ability to understand other people’s theology, and one’s own. It’s a framework for developing engagement.”

In the book’s final two chapters, Bush models the kind of reflection that he hopes to inspire in his students, and in his readers – reflection that will help them find their feet in a new ministry setting.

“When students enter into a situation of ministry, they don’t usually warm up to the environment immediately,” he said. “They’re assigned tasks, then they worry about doing those tasks well, and then they worry about being liked.”

Such concerns have to be addressed before the student can begin the work of forming meaningful relationships, he said. “There are ways to help mollify that natural process that can assuage those anxieties and help students focus more quickly on engagement,” Bush said.

That learning process is at the core of ministry and is ongoing for even the most experienced pastors. “It’s about developing capacity,” Bush said. “It’s about thinking in concert with other people, with the community that you’re engaged with. It’s the work of a lifetime.”

As with his earlier book “Gentle Shepherding: Pastoral Ethics and Leadership,” Dr. Bush’s latest publication draws directly on his work in the classroom. “Both of my books are a kind of dialogue with my own teaching and my own ministry,” he said.

While developing the first draft of “Practical Theology in Church and Society,” Bush taught a course of the same name. “It helped me think through the material and how I was presenting it,” he said. “I learned what was valuable to students and what was not.”

Returning to the course a second time, Bush used the opportunity to fine tune both his pedagogy and his manuscript, which he gave to the students as assigned readings.

“The class experience was a huge help, especially for those last two chapters” he said. “That’s why they’re as self-reflective as they are. Those chapters are coming directly from my own reflective engagement with the students here at Wesley.”

Contact Us
Wesley Theological Seminary
4500 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20016
p 202.885.8600
f 202.885.8605
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
Apply
Who We Are
Admissions
Academics
News & Events
Wesley Worship
My Wesley
Resources
Alumni
Community Life
Support
Consumer Information

© 2019 Wesley Theological Seminary

Copyright © 2021 · Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in