Presbyterian identity was so eroded by the fundamentalist-modernist wars in the early twentieth century and the evangelical envy of the baby boomer era that conservative presbyterians tend to identify more easily with those outside their tradition than many within it. The majority, in my experience, lean Baptist: the congregation's individual identity and distinctives are paramount; focus tends to be on individual and family success over against integration into presbyterian tradition; children aren't considered genuine Christians until they make profession of faith. The minority of which I'm a part leans Lutheran: primary emphasis is on the means of grace and presbyterian distinctives; priority is on holistic integration into, and use of, presbyterian artifacts such as the Catechisms; the Christian life is envisioned as a slow progression from cradle to grave, always within the bounds of the Church and, generally, not much spiritual excitement between those two milestones (other than Bible camp).
Hence, Lutheran pastor Russell Saltzman's "A Parish Survival Guide for Senior Seminarians" strikes me as eminently practical, extremely useful, and grounded in the realities of pastoral ministry. It is a tad Lutheran, but one could do worse.
For example, lean Baptist instead.
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