Author Ronald H. Sunderland’s New Book “Saying Our Stories: A Guide for Individuals Who Are Story-Listeners” Explores Equipping Laypeople for Their Role in Ministry
Recent release “Saying Our Stories: A Guide for Individuals Who Are Story-Listeners” from Page Publishing author Ronald H. Sunderland is a fascinating look into the author’s decades of work in pastoral care, highlighting the importance of training laypeople to fulfill their roles as story-listeners in the church.
Mint Hills, NC, April 10, 2025 --(PR.com)-- Ronald H. Sunderland, an ordained minister as well as a loving husband and father, has completed his new book “Saying Our Stories: A Guide for Individuals Who Are Story-Listeners”: a comprehensive guide that draws from the author’s decades of work in pastoral care to offer readers a practical and heartfelt approach to the critical ministry of story-listening.
Born in Australia in 1929, author Ronald H. Sunderland moved to Houston, Texas in 1966 with his wife, Noël, and their four children, to enroll in a clergy pastoral ministry course offered in US hospitals by the newly formed Association for Clinical Pastoral Education (ACPE). His goal was to complete a two-to-four-year course leading to certification as a clinical pastoral supervisor. Building on his growing CPE experience, he embarked on a new venture: to design and implement an innovative project to equip lay people for their role as lay pastors under the oversight of their parish pastors.
“‘SOS’ is the culmination of my work since 1966, when my wife, Noël, and I moved from Melbourne, Australia, to Houston, Texas,” writes Sunderland. “My initial goal was to begin a four-year clinical pastoral education program (CPE) at the Institute of Religion in the Texas Medical Center. The long-term dream was to develop a parish-based lay pastoral education program to equip laypeople to serve with their ordained pastors in the pastoral ministry of the parish.
“Until the mid nineteenth century, pastoral care was the province of parish clergy, for which few were adequately equipped. I aimed to change that model by demonstrating that laypeople with the necessary training were integral to the church’s ministry. That would entail providing clergy with supervisory skills.
“The founder organizations of the newly constituted Association for Clinical Pastoral Education (ACPE) had pioneered clergy pastoral care education in the 1920s. The Equipping Laypeople for Ministry (ELM) program, which I founded in 1979, proved effective in the dual tasks of lay pastoral care training and the preparation of clergy for their necessary function of oversight of lay pastors.
“‘Saying Our Stories’ is the account of the pioneering effort to undertake those tasks and demonstrate the effectiveness of the new model of parish pastoral ministry. It is a book of stories. The text suggests that pastoral care, at heart, is knowing that when a troubled person casts round for someone to listen to her (or his) story, they need a caring story-listener. Such listening is hard work, but story-listeners know that to listen is to care. If they finish up thinking, ‘All I did was listen,’ they know it is such a big all!”
Published by Page Publishing, Ronald H. Sunderland’s engaging series will encourage readers to recognize the importance of being present for others and demonstrate how training in story-listening can be a transformative tool for those involved in the pastoral ministry. Intended for anyone interested in improving their ability to listen with empathy and care, “Saving Our Stories” provides practical advice and spiritual wisdom for those seeking to better understand their role in supporting and helping others.
Readers who wish to experience this inspiring work can purchase “Saying Our Stories: A Guide for Individuals Who Are Story-Listeners” at bookstores everywhere, or online at the Apple iTunes Store, Amazon, Google Play, or Barnes and Noble.
For additional information or media inquiries, contact Page Publishing at 866-315-2708.
About Page Publishing:
Page Publishing is a traditional, full-service publishing house that handles all the intricacies involved in publishing its authors’ books, including distribution in the world’s largest retail outlets and royalty generation. Page Publishing knows that authors need to be free to create, not mired in logistics like eBook conversion, establishing wholesale accounts, insurance, shipping, taxes, and so on. Page’s accomplished writers and publishing professionals allow authors to leave behind these complex and time-consuming issues and focus on their passion: writing and creating. Learn more at www.pagepublishing.com.
Born in Australia in 1929, author Ronald H. Sunderland moved to Houston, Texas in 1966 with his wife, Noël, and their four children, to enroll in a clergy pastoral ministry course offered in US hospitals by the newly formed Association for Clinical Pastoral Education (ACPE). His goal was to complete a two-to-four-year course leading to certification as a clinical pastoral supervisor. Building on his growing CPE experience, he embarked on a new venture: to design and implement an innovative project to equip lay people for their role as lay pastors under the oversight of their parish pastors.
“‘SOS’ is the culmination of my work since 1966, when my wife, Noël, and I moved from Melbourne, Australia, to Houston, Texas,” writes Sunderland. “My initial goal was to begin a four-year clinical pastoral education program (CPE) at the Institute of Religion in the Texas Medical Center. The long-term dream was to develop a parish-based lay pastoral education program to equip laypeople to serve with their ordained pastors in the pastoral ministry of the parish.
“Until the mid nineteenth century, pastoral care was the province of parish clergy, for which few were adequately equipped. I aimed to change that model by demonstrating that laypeople with the necessary training were integral to the church’s ministry. That would entail providing clergy with supervisory skills.
“The founder organizations of the newly constituted Association for Clinical Pastoral Education (ACPE) had pioneered clergy pastoral care education in the 1920s. The Equipping Laypeople for Ministry (ELM) program, which I founded in 1979, proved effective in the dual tasks of lay pastoral care training and the preparation of clergy for their necessary function of oversight of lay pastors.
“‘Saying Our Stories’ is the account of the pioneering effort to undertake those tasks and demonstrate the effectiveness of the new model of parish pastoral ministry. It is a book of stories. The text suggests that pastoral care, at heart, is knowing that when a troubled person casts round for someone to listen to her (or his) story, they need a caring story-listener. Such listening is hard work, but story-listeners know that to listen is to care. If they finish up thinking, ‘All I did was listen,’ they know it is such a big all!”
Published by Page Publishing, Ronald H. Sunderland’s engaging series will encourage readers to recognize the importance of being present for others and demonstrate how training in story-listening can be a transformative tool for those involved in the pastoral ministry. Intended for anyone interested in improving their ability to listen with empathy and care, “Saving Our Stories” provides practical advice and spiritual wisdom for those seeking to better understand their role in supporting and helping others.
Readers who wish to experience this inspiring work can purchase “Saying Our Stories: A Guide for Individuals Who Are Story-Listeners” at bookstores everywhere, or online at the Apple iTunes Store, Amazon, Google Play, or Barnes and Noble.
For additional information or media inquiries, contact Page Publishing at 866-315-2708.
About Page Publishing:
Page Publishing is a traditional, full-service publishing house that handles all the intricacies involved in publishing its authors’ books, including distribution in the world’s largest retail outlets and royalty generation. Page Publishing knows that authors need to be free to create, not mired in logistics like eBook conversion, establishing wholesale accounts, insurance, shipping, taxes, and so on. Page’s accomplished writers and publishing professionals allow authors to leave behind these complex and time-consuming issues and focus on their passion: writing and creating. Learn more at www.pagepublishing.com.
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