There are countless books out there describing the job description, responsibilities and difficulties of the life of a pastor. There are plenty of books that tell the stories of wonderful faithful pastors who have fought the good fight. But there aren’t that many well-known books that are written about the pastor’s personal and spiritual life. Sure, you’ve got a few general books, but I’m taking about the specifics of what the life of a pastor should be like with real examples of how it played out. That’s where this book come in.
The Pastor’s Life is a great little book that tells the stories of great puritan pastors and how they lived out their lives of devotion to the Lord. I love reading the puritans, but sadly in recent months I haven’t managed to do much of it. The puritans were straight talkers, they had an immense view of God, His holiness and His glory and a real sense of the depravity of mankind. Their books are full of wonderful insights and examples of godly men whose prayer lives, Bible reading and pastoral care are examples to aspire to. But they were also fallen, sinful men like you and me.
In this little book you’ll be introduced to some big figures from times gone by, people like Jonathan Edwards, John Bunyan, Matthew Henry, Richards Sibbs, and many more.
Each chapter unpacks a bit of the story of a different character and gives practical wisdom from their lives and experience on a different topic. The book doesn’t only focus on preaching and other public elements of ministry. Here are a list of the topics that this books touches on; the Pastor’s call, Bible, doctrine, piety, prayers, family, preaching, affections, shepherding, evangelism, leadership and failures.
I found this book really helpful and very challenging because it exposes the depth, or lack thereof, of the time and emphasis we put on important parts of a pastor’s life. The Pastor’s Life is full of helpful insights and practical wisdom that every pastor and church leader could use and implement in their life and ministry. In this book you’ll find people with a huge view of the splendour and majesty of God, a high view of ministry and the responsibility that it is and a call to live in such a way that glorifies God in everything.
I highly recommend that you buy this book if you’re in ministry and if you want to dive into the history of the puritans and get to know some of the less familiar figure of times gone by. This would be a great gift for your pastor, for someone training for ministry or for someone who enjoys diving into historical figure, there’s something for everyone to learn in this book.Buy it here and enjoy learning, being challenged and growing in your love for the Lord, His Word, His people and the lost.
Rating 4/5
Matthew D. Haste is Associate Professor of Biblical Spirituality and Director of Professional Doctoral Studies at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. He has served in pastoral ministry in Kentucky and South Carolina
Shane W. Parker is Associate Professor of Leadership and Missions at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky.
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