Take My Hand

Description: Take My Hand is an invitation to experience a year of preaching through the eyes of a first-year pastor. Andrew Taylor-Troutman reflects on his experience of ministry as a dynamic exchange between his theological education and the people in the pews. Each chapter consists of Taylor-Troutman's reflections about a particular aspect of living as a faith community and concludes with a sermon exploring similar themes and ideas. As this book journeys through the Christian liturgical year, Taylor-Troutman considers a wide range of contemporary church issues, including the role of children in worship and the communal practice of Sabbath. He discusses topics as diverse as the Rapture, the death penalty, and church league softball. Along the way, readers will laugh at Sunday morning bloopers, study biblical texts from new perspectives, wrestle with theological questions, and discover parallels between their own experience of faith and the life of this small, rural congregation. More than just a retrospective summary of events, Take My Hand poignantly illustrates how a pastor's work on Sunday morning grows out of his or her engagement with the hopes and fears of daily life, and the inspiring faith of men, women, and children in a church. Endorsements: "A wonderful blending of communal observations and deep spiritual insight. Rev. Taylor-Troutman sees the connection between the faith and community, and in the sharing of his experience invites us to see and learn from that connection. An excellent resource for any new pastor starting a faith journey with a congregation, or a seasoned pastor reflecting anew." --Brian K. Blount President and Professor of New Testament Union Presbyterian Seminary "If you want to know what first-year pastoral ministry is, read this book . . . Taylor Troutman evokes the possibility of community, of deep and abiding faith in God, of family ties and committed relationships . . . His strength is the courage to ask questions, to live with ambiguity, to keep the faith, and to listen deeply to those who know him as their pastor." --Susan Kendall Director of the Doctor of Ministry Program Pittsburgh Theological Seminary "Take My Hand is a great telling of a first-year pastor living in his first congregation . . . [The] writing is very gracious and mirrors what happens right there at the 'ground of the fabric' where our theologies are built, our prayers are shared, our world views reshaped, and our love of God and one another deeply nourished." --Cláudio Carvalhaes Associate Professor of Worship and Preaching Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary "Georgia O'Keefe said that 'no one really looks at a flower, ' and then she invited us to see the beauty of those blossoms that we ordinarily take for granted. A true artist arrests us in our busyness and calls us to notice the mysterious in the mundane. Andrew Taylor-Troutman displays this gift in Take My Hand. As he leads us through his first year as a pastor, Taylor-Troutman gives us a glimpse of the depth." --Carol Howard Merritt Pastor, Western Presbyterian Church Washington DC "Andrew Taylor-Troutman has written a delightful pastoral memoir, full of human insights and theological truths. It is in the best sense an encouraging book to any and all who aspire to the title 'Pastor.' I recommend it highly." --Richard Lischer Duke Divinity School About the Contributor(s): Andrew Taylor-Troutman is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA) and the solo pastor of New Dublin Presbyterian Church in the mountains of southwestern Virginia. The author received his bachelor of arts from Lenoir-Rhyne University and holds graduate degrees from Union Presbyterian Seminary and the University of Virginia.