Caring for People from Birth to Death

Discover the manual that will help you teach ministry students and effectively minister to people in all developmental stages!Caring for People from Birth to Death is a helpful resource for people who care for people. Each chapter describes a particular stage of development in the human pilgrimage from the preschool years to senior adulthood--from the cradle to the rocking chair. Guidelines and usable suggestions for a caring ministry are included in each chapter. In Caring for People from Birth to Death spirituality as it relates to the developmental process is explored by the contributors with a new section in each chapter that concerns the growth and decline of a person's spirituality throughout his or her life. Some of the issues you will explore in this new edition include: - developmental theories and spiritual issues for every stage of life - caring for the elderly through a team effort - ministering to confused adolescents - expanding your parishioners'feelings of self-worth - the fundamentals of teaching preschoolers about Jesus - working towards spiritual growth in adult malesCaring for People from Birth to Death is for seminary students studying developmental psychology and ministry, for CPE training programs, for pastoral counseling training programs, seminary professors, pastoral counselors, and church staff ministers. This concise handbook will help you quickly grasp the developmental issues people face and give you ideas on how the church can effectively minister to these folks. This book is updated from its original publication, and each contributor's intrinsic style has remained intact for you as you explore and learn from this complete manual on ministering to your community members. Caring for People from Birth to Death offers you practical, ready-to-use strategies for understanding, taking care of, and ministering to people of all ages.

Hightower Jr, James E

Contents About the Editor - Contributors - Preface - Chapter 1. The Preschool Years: Foundations for Life - Preschool Years Are Foundational - A Preschooler's Developmental Tasks - Can a Preschooler Learn About God? - How You Can Minister to Preschoolers - Parenting Preschoolers - Chapter 2. The Early School Years: Finding Acceptance Beyond the Family - Focus on Ages Six Through Twelve - How a Child Develops - Changes from Age Six Through Twelve - The Child and Spirituality - Tasks to Be Accomplished - A Child's Position in the Family - The Family as a System - Reward and Punishment - Rules - Childhood Stress - Children and Crisis - Suggestions to Share with Parents - Developing Spirituality - The Transition to Adolescence - Chapter 3. Adolescence: Stuck in the Middle - Definitions - Theories - Theories in Practice: Ministry Issues - Spiritual Development - Additional Comments - Chapter 4. Young Adulthood: Starting on Their Own - Wilderness and Promise: Generation X and Beyond - Flowing Features of Young Adulthood - Out One Era and into Another - Spirituality in a Changing Culture - Additional Principles of Pastoral Care - Chapter 5. The Middle Years: Getting It Together! - Developmental Theorists - Temptations to Stagnation: Issues Along the Way - Ministering in the Middle - Spiritual Development Issues - Conclusion - Chpater 6. Senior Adulthood: Twilight or Dawn? - The Developmental Tasks of Senior Adulthood - Pastoral Care with Senior Adults - Conclusion - Chapter 7. Toward a Holistic Approach to Caring - What Does It Mean to Care? - Who Is Called to Care? - What Skills Are Needed to Care? - Preaching Is Caring - Pastoral Care in Times of Crisis - Spirituality: A Personal and Communal Journey - Conclusion - Index - Reference Notes Included