For Life Abundant develops an approach to practical theology that emphasizes its capacity to guide communities and persons in embracing life-giving ways of life in specific contexts. Practical theology, is something in which every community of believers engages while seeking to live in ways that reflect and respond to God's grace as it is made known in Jesus Christ. At the same time, practical theology is an academic discipline that foregrounds this concern and that is influenced by the norms of scholarly inquiry and the pedagogical needs of the church. This distinction does not detach academic practical theology from the life of faith; instead it bestows on academic practical theologians a specific role within and on behalf of the way of life they share with other Christians.
By considering the contributions of practical theology in an interrelated range of settings, For Life Abundant: Practical Theology, Theological Education, and Christian Ministry clarifies the contributions of practical theology in a range of related settings, each of which contributes in indispensable ways to the capacity of Christians to live faithfully in and for the world.