Richard P. Olson retired as Distinguished Professor of Pastoral Theology at Central Baptist Theological Seminary in 2016. He served as a parish minister for nearly forty years and is the author of a number of books. In 2000, the Academy of Parish Clergy selected Ministry with Families in Flux (coauthored with Joe Leonard) as one of the year's ten best books. In 2018, the Academy of Parish clergy recognized Olson's work again, naming A Guide to Ministry Self-Care (coauthored with Ruth Lofgren Rosell, Nathan S. Marsh, and Angela Barker Jackson) as one of the year's ten most important books for ministers.