A series of warm, often witty sketches and practical essays probes congregational life and the reciprocal expectations of ministers and parishioners. Topics range from how to listen to a sermon and how a congregation shapes its minister to church politics, musical accompaniment, pew ownership, charitable pretensions, aging clergy, vacationing, and personal revival. The tone alternates between ironic satire and affectionate sympathy, blending pastoral observation, pragmatic advice, and character studies of the distinctive personalities who populate church life.