I own Anderson's entire Family Living in Pastoral Perspective series (Leaving Home, Becoming Married, Regarding Children, Promising Again, and Living Alone), and I refer to them frequently.

Each book focuses on a different transitional event and the family tasks that event brings into focus. Anderson and his co-authors deal sensitively with the pastoral issues involved.

The books are well-written and easy to read--no convoluted prose to parse here. The works have added texture from the many personal examples shared by the authors (both their own and examples others have shared with them).

Every book in the series deserves an honored place on any religious professional's shelf. Except, you may find them so valuable they rarely make it back to your shelf.

I have read many books on the application of "family systems" or "systems" thinking and its application to congregational life, including Friedman's groundbreaking work, "Generation to Generation." Most of them were good and insightful. But for most professionals serving congregations, this kind of book is most helpful if it is concise and easy to apply to the life of the congregation we are currently serving. That is what distinguishes Mitchell's book. I found that his book was far easier to read and apply to the life of the congregations I served than any other. And you do not have to be in a Multiple Staff situation to benefit from this clear, concise, and practical book.