This bridge-building work, about the roles of pastor and preacher and how they can be effectively integrated, quickly became a classic when it was first published and has never been duplicated. The author argues that while they sometimes seem to conflict, these ministry functions share a common process and a common goal and can be synchronized around the image of restoration. Preserving both psychological awareness and theological integrity, the preacher is invited into the pulpit with an enhanced sense of the power and influence of preaching in people's living and growing. Challenging some of the most cherished assumptions of homiletics, Dr. Nichols invites preachers to restored confidence in the importance of preaching in the formation of Christian community, spiritual growth for hurting people, and the renewal of worship as a 'communitas' experience of the divine human encounter. 'The Restoring Word' grows out of the author's lifetime of experience as a preacher, psychotherapist, and teacher. It is a deeply involving story about how the person of the preacher becomes a tool for the enactment of grace in the always mysterious process of proclaiming the Word. Therapeutically accurate, pastorally sensitive, and theologically challenging, 'The Restoring Word' walks its readers through a long neglected garden slowly and lovingly coming to life.
