Papers by Joshua C Strunk
In recent years there has been an increased interest in understanding the cultivation of effectiv... more In recent years there has been an increased interest in understanding the cultivation of effective pastoral ministry. While much has been written on the dynamics of short-tenure, less attention has been devoted to the dynamics of long-tenure. Why do pastors stay and how do they perceive their efficacy is affected by this? In light of this gap, the purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to explore the lived experience of long-tenured senior pastors. Data was collected by a purposeful sampling of 10 participants and consisted of a combination of documentation, field notes and interviews. Data analysis utilized Moustakas' methodology in order to develop a thick description of the phenomena, rich with data; with an eye toward what insights participants' experiences could illume for pastoral education. In the final analysis the results of the study affirmed current research on the resiliency needed to achieve long-tenure in pastoral ministry and extended previous research through the discovery that participants understood the convergence of ministry, tenure and efficacy as cyclical process sustained by the interconnected experiences of fidelity to the pastoral call and the cultivation of authenticity in community.
Journal of Pastoral Psychology, Feb 2017
In recent years there has been increased interest in understanding the cultivation of effective p... more In recent years there has been increased interest in understanding the cultivation of effective pastoral ministry. Many theories have been postulated based on individual experiences, but what has been lacking is a robust body of comprehensive and rigorous research regarding the issue. The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experience of long-tenured senior pastors of Christian churches with an eye toward the insights participants' experiences could offer to pastoral education. Final analysis of the data affirmed current research on resiliency in pastoral ministry and extended previous research through the discovery that participants understood the convergence of ministry, tenure, and efficacy as a cyclical process sustained by the interconnected experiences of fidelity to the pastoral call and the cultivation of authenticity in community. This understanding forms the basis of a new theory of pastoral efficacy.
In recent years there has been an increased interest in understanding the cultivation of effectiv... more In recent years there has been an increased interest in understanding the cultivation of effective pastoral ministry. While much has been written on the dynamics of short-tenure, less attention has been devoted to the dynamics of long-tenure. Why do pastors stay and how do they perceive their efficacy is affected by this? In light of this gap, the purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to explore the lived experience of long-tenured senior pastors. Data was collected by a purposeful sampling of 10 participants and consisted of a combination of documentation, field notes and interviews. Data analysis utilized Moustakas’ methodology in order to develop a thick description of the phenomena, rich with data; with an eye toward what insights participants’ experiences could illume for pastoral education. In the final analysis the results of the study affirmed current research on the resiliency needed to achieve long-tenure in pastoral ministry and extended previous research through the discovery that participants understood the convergence of ministry, tenure and efficacy as cyclical process sustained by the interconnected experiences of fidelity to the pastoral call and the cultivation of authenticity in community.
Talks by Joshua C Strunk
The Community Church of Pine Run EMC, 2020
Books by Joshua C Strunk
The IS403 Project, 2022
It has been 13 years now since I began writing the original version of this book, titled “Finding... more It has been 13 years now since I began writing the original version of this book, titled “Finding Freedom in the Embrace of the Eternal: Reflections on the Life of Solomon” (2014). So, I felt it was time to revisit it and make some needed revisions. Frankly, while the original version contained core ideas that I still hold as quintessential to the Faith, in retrospect, it was also full of ideas that I was trying to get my head wrapped around at the time, which caused the writing to meander far too often.
The thing is this project grew out of a time of crisis in my life. I had followed paths that made sense to me, but they kept leading me back to the same unwanted places (cf. Proverbs 14:12). Over and over, I had sown the seeds of my failure, but I blamed everyone else for what I reaped (cf. Proverbs 19:3). As I warmed myself by the fire of the bridges I had burned, I tried desperately to understand what I had missed, and how I had missed it. In the end, this book was and is a kind of journal of the journey I made through that dark valley as I reflected on the scriptures and specifically on the life of King Solomon.
I have 4 versions of this available if you would like an actual physical copy.
For purchase information: https://pinerunemc.org/theis403project
Presentation Notes by Joshua C Strunk
Uploads
Papers by Joshua C Strunk
Talks by Joshua C Strunk
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXz6wwEQY99WW9WHkr9bocR19lcZwTHSZ
Books by Joshua C Strunk
The thing is this project grew out of a time of crisis in my life. I had followed paths that made sense to me, but they kept leading me back to the same unwanted places (cf. Proverbs 14:12). Over and over, I had sown the seeds of my failure, but I blamed everyone else for what I reaped (cf. Proverbs 19:3). As I warmed myself by the fire of the bridges I had burned, I tried desperately to understand what I had missed, and how I had missed it. In the end, this book was and is a kind of journal of the journey I made through that dark valley as I reflected on the scriptures and specifically on the life of King Solomon.
I have 4 versions of this available if you would like an actual physical copy.
For purchase information: https://pinerunemc.org/theis403project
Presentation Notes by Joshua C Strunk
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXz6wwEQY99WW9WHkr9bocR19lcZwTHSZ
The thing is this project grew out of a time of crisis in my life. I had followed paths that made sense to me, but they kept leading me back to the same unwanted places (cf. Proverbs 14:12). Over and over, I had sown the seeds of my failure, but I blamed everyone else for what I reaped (cf. Proverbs 19:3). As I warmed myself by the fire of the bridges I had burned, I tried desperately to understand what I had missed, and how I had missed it. In the end, this book was and is a kind of journal of the journey I made through that dark valley as I reflected on the scriptures and specifically on the life of King Solomon.
I have 4 versions of this available if you would like an actual physical copy.
For purchase information: https://pinerunemc.org/theis403project