Young Clergy by Donald Capps

Announcing a new arrival: Young Clergy: a Biographical-Developmental Study by Donald Capps

The following review was written by Myka Kennedy Stephens for Congregational Libraries Today, the bimonthly publication of the Church & Synagogue Library Association. Used with permission. Copyright 2007 by the Church and Synagogue Library Association (www.cslainfo.org).

Renowned pastoral psychologist Donald Capps turns his attention toward the development of young clergy in his latest book. In it, he applies Daniel Levinson’s model of adult development to the biographies of Phillips Brooks, Jonathan Edwards, John Henry Newman, John Wesley, and Orestes Brownson. Each of these historical clergymen from the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries represents a different type of development during the early adult era of life. By examining these case studies, the reader hopes to understand more about the driving forces in the life of a young clergy person.

As a critical examination of pastoral development, this book contributes to the existing conversation. While the explanation and application of Levinson’s model is clear and concise, it is questionable whether or not those outside of the field of pastoral psychology will find this work helpful or relevant. The case studies of each clergyman, however, are engaging and make this a book easily adapted for small group study. It should be noted that the case studies do not include full biographies; rather, they trace the life from childhood to early adulthood, approximately to the age of forty. Protestant congregations may find this book more useful for biographical study of these five clergymen.
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Call number: BV600.3 .C37 2005
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