David Hansen, The Art of Pastoring: Ministry Without All The Answers, Revised Edition. (Downers Grove, Ill: InterVarsity Press, 2012).
219 pages.
I read this book in a day and a half. I never do that,
but the Forward intrigued me and the book quickly pulled me in. I am interested in the role of Pastor - how
to define it, what it looks like from day to day, who the Pastor stands responsible
to, and so on. I am convinced that with
the past 30 years (at least) of the corporatization of the pastoral vocation,
we stand in an arid landscape and don't know exactly where to find water.
Hansen's book is water in a dry land. Hansen refuses to be boxed in by the all too
common expectations every modern pastor
knows, and instead, has his eyes on Christ and Christ's ministry to people. My experience resonates with his when he says,
"When I began the pastoral ministry, I had lots of books prescribing
pastoral ministry - the so-called how-to books.
I had books on how to preach, how to administrate a church, how to do
pastoral counseling and how to lead small groups. They didn't help me" (pg 11). Each chapter addresses an important component
to the pastor's ministry as he discusses things like the pastor's call, preaching,
prayer, and leadership. Within each
chapter his experiences as pastor of a yoked parish in Montana plays the
central role, but as he makes clear the stories he relates are about the
theology that shape them.
Pastors need to leave the dry land of management
techniques and rediscover the fertile soil of Christ's kingdom among us. Hansen is clear about his relationship with what
we would call vision and mission statements, and he would rather see a pastor
reading theology and preaching Christ.
You can't go wrong if you learn how to preach Christ from the pulpit.
In my opinion Hansen wrote a necessary book 20 years ago
and I am thankful for its new edition and my fortuitous discovery of this
gem. From now on I will refer my pastor
friends to this book and refer myself back to it when I need a course
correction back to the good country.
If you find my review helpful, please say so on Amazon.
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