Last Long Pastorate

In The Last Long Pastorate F. Dean Lueking offers a lively and candid memoir of his forty-four-year journey as pastor of Grace Lutheran Church, chronicling the joys and the challenges of guiding one congregation through a period of momentous change both in and outside the church.Beginning with his ordination on a summer Sunday in 1954, Lueking recounts the strains and pleasures of daily ministry, the surprises and vexations of the pastoral calling, the deep satisfactions of serving people through thick and thin, as well as the lessons learned from mistakes made.

His compelling story will be of interest not only to those affiliated with Grace Lutheran Church but also to anyone involved in church leadership.

Lueking shows that there are some things about preaching, teaching, evangelizing, and pastoral care that are best -- indeed only -- learned over a long pastorate.

These gems of wisdom come through in a narrative that is engaging, witty, and very often inspiring.