Abstract

In April 2006, the Association of Practical Theology (APT) in the United States hosted its biennial meeting at Vanderbilt University under the title, “Practical Theology and Its Sub-Disciplines: Pedagogies and Their Implications for Practical Theology.” Panel presentations from six areas (education, worship, pastoral care, homiletics, leadership, and social mission) explored the distinctive character of teaching in each sub-discipline, what they hold in common with other fields, and broader connections to practical theology as a whole. Those six presentations are the central essays of this article. A brief, jointly-authored essay introduces the situation and themes of the APT meeting, while a concluding essay by the same group of authors names the commonalities and differences among the sub-disciplines, as well as questions for further teaching and research raised by this collection of essays.