Product Description

What makes Christian ministry Christian?

Theologian Andrew Purves explores at the deepest level the true and essential nature of Christian ministry. By comparison, the way ministry is often approached, in practice and in training, is severely lacking and profoundly misleading. This misapprehension explains the crisis in pastoral work we currently face. Rooting our church service in Christ's own continuing ministry, Purves provides a vision for students and practicing clergy to reclaim the vital connection between Christ and our participation in his ministry today, even if it means we have to let Christ himself put to death our own ministries to which we cling so closely.

A radical appraisal for a critical malady affecting the life of the Christian church.

• Pastors
• Students

• Provides a clear-cut analysis of the nature of ministry that gets below the superficial critiques and moves beyond simplistic techniques
• A valuable resource for students starting out in Christian ministry
• An encouraging and even prophetic analysis of what's gone wrong so often in our contemporary approaches to Christian ministry

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #190560 in Books
• Published on: 2007-10-30
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 152 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780830834396
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.

Customer Reviews

Essential Reading for Pastors (and parishioners)
This is one of the best books I've ever read on ministry.

If you're looking for tips and techniques, this is not the book for you. However, there is nothing as practical as a good theory.

Purves presents a solid theology of ministry. The beginning point is a recognition that everything worthwhile that happens in ministry is done by the reigning King, Jesus Christ. Our clever programs and detailed plans have become the problem.

Purves writes, "All that we think we should do and can do and are doing in ministry must be put to death" (p. 13)

Once we have crucified our ministries, we can begin to participate in the continuing ministry of Jesus Christ. This chiefly involves discerning what Jesus Christ is already up to.

Concerning preaching, Purves writes, "Faithful preaching is the fruit of deep theological apprehension of Jesus Christ in the context of this people at this time. You know Jesus Christ; you know this people. What is his Word to them today?" (p. 91).

The primary work of the pastor is "bearing witness to the joining of two stories, the parishioner's and God's. Who is Jesus Christ specifically for this person amid the particularities and exigencies of her current life experience?" (p. 128).

Purves writes from a Calvinistic perspective, but he does so without partisanship. As an Arminian I took offense to nothing he said and had little difficulty adapting his arguments to my slightly different theological framework.

And his writing is easy to read. He doesn't overwhelm the reader with complex theological terms and ideas. This is a deep book but also an accessible book.

One warning, however. If you are young and have all the answers or if you have a TV show and think that God is indebted to you for all the work you do for him, you probably won't find this book very helpful. One the other hand, if you've ever been frustrated in ministry or concerned that all your work has accomplished little of real value, you will find this book refreshing, encouraging and empowering.

The Crux of the Matter Called Ministry
For Dr. Purves being a theologian and a professor, he has a firm handle on the realities of pastoral ministry. Purves tells how he attempts to teach seminary students about the perils of ministry (How do you describe battle to Army recruits?), but the lesson is experienced every day by "busy, tired, some-what depressed, mid-career and fed-up ministers" (in his own words). Purves' teaching of "union with Christ" and "displacement" in ministry is appropriate and greatly needed for seminary students and pastors. I've been in ministry 16 years and felt a connection with Purves' description of ministry from his first day as a pastor through his pastoral call examples, case studies and personal observations. His theological foundation and description of ministry in the "slipstream" of Jesus does not lead to easy answers but a path for continuing ministry, a "profound metanoia" (p. 99). The crux of the matter called ministry is that our crucifixion is good news, and I felt that good news in Purves' application of "bearing witness, interpretation and symbolic action" (p. 131). Get this book, read it and heed it before looking for ministry solutions that only entrench you in the way of what God is doing.

Deep, brilliant, and all about Christ
In this little but very profound book, Dr Purves has given all pastors a way to approach ministry that will bring life and freedom and joy rather than stress, burden, and weariness. It's so easy to think that we have to do it all. Indeed, that is our great sin as pastors. We forget that we are not the Savior. I imagine that this book would be particularly good for "successful" ministers who have bought into the idea that their brilliance and hard work has brought about their success. Ministry, particularly in a big church setting, has a tendency to inflate egos. Ingesting a little Purves will provide a good remedy. I recommend this book to all pastors and anyone else engaged in ministry. Read it several times. Read it once a year. Send it to all your friends.