On Being a Pastor Understanding Our Calling and Work

by Prime, Derek J.; Begg, Alistair; Mohler, Al

• ISBN13: 9780802431196
• ISBN10: 0802431194
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-06-01
• Publisher: Moody Publishers

Summary

Now in paperback, On Being a Pastoris an essential tool to help pastors fulfill their calling. A pastor's responsibilities are unique, demanding that he nurture his own spiritual life as well as that of the people in his care. Derek Prime and Alistair Begg provide practical advice for both the spiritual and practical aspects of pastoral ministry. Topics include prayer, devotional habits, preaching, and specific ministry duties.

Author Biography

ALISTAIR BEGG has been the senior pastor at Parkside Church in suburban Cleveland, Ohio, since 1983. He is the daily speaker on the national radio program Truth For Life which airs on 700 radio outlets and travels extensively in a ministry of evangelism and Bible teaching. Alistair and his wife, Susan, have three grown children.
DEREK PRIME is an itinerant minister and writer. A former president of the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches, Mr. Prime served as a pastor for more than 30 years, the last 18 as minister of Charlotte Chapel, Edinburgh. Among his numerous books are the Sarah and Paul series, Practical Prayer, Unspoken Lessons about the Unseen God, James, and Let’s Study 2 Corinthians. Derek and his wife, Betty, live in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Table of Contents

FOREWORD	9	(2)
AUTHORS' NOTE	11	(2)
INTRODUCTION	13	(186)
The crisis of identity many pastors and teachers experience;
Five basic convictions.
1. THE CALL AND THE CALLING	17	(18)
Defining our terms;
The irresistible nature of the call;
The call in the context of God's calling of all Christians;
Old Testament examples;
Apostolic example;
The development of the sense of call;
The best kind of training;
The minister's calling;
The continuing proofs of a call.
2. LIFE AND CHARACTER	35	(14)
The priority of example;
The key example;
A proper response to Christ's example;
The practicalities of example setting;
Speech; Lifestyle;
Love;
Faith;
Purity;
Areas of growth.
3. GOALS AND PRIORITIES	49	(16)
Feed the flock;
Proclaim the whole will of God;
Present everyone perfect in Christ;
Prepare God's people for works of service;
Equip God's people to be fishers of men and women;
Keep watch over yourself and the flock until the task is complete;
Our natural feelings of insufficiency.
4. PRAYER	65	(20)
Prayer and our personal relationship to God;
An undisputed priority for pastors and teachers;
Intercessory prayer as part of our pastoral care;
Prayer and preparation for teaching and preaching;
Prayer when visiting and counseling;
Prayer as the norm whenever anything of moment is discussed;
Public prayer;
Our own need of the prayers of others.
5. DEVOTIONAL LIFE	85	(16)
Our secret and personal life;
Love for God must be the priority of our life;
Avoiding professionalism;
God's requirement is quality rather than quantity;
Four aspects of our devotional life:
1. Worship;
2. Prayer and meditation;
3. Bible reading;
4. The reading of Christian books.
6. STUDY	101	(22)
Study and effective ministry;
Instructing others and our personal obedience to God;
Determining the best place to study;
No substitute for discipline;
An area of tension: finding time for general reading and study;
Planning our week;
Books;
The retention of the fruits of study;
Biblical directives.
7. PREACHING	123	(26)
The contemporary climate of opinion regarding preaching;
The distinction between teaching and preaching;
The general background to our preaching;
Preparation for preaching;
Evangelistic preaching;
Preaching to children;
Notes or full manuscript?;
Being ourselves;
The truth we must never forget;
The perils of preaching;
The highest privilege.
8. PASTORAL CARE	149	(22)
Shepherding equals pastoral care;
The background to our pastoral care;
All need pastoral care—including ourselves;
Basic principles of pastoral care;
The exercise of pastoral care;
Key words in pastoral care;
Recognizing our own limitations;
Our greatest confidence.
9. PASTORAL CARE—THE PRACTICALITIES	171	(28)
Visiting people in their homes;
Evangelistic visitation;
Hospital visitation;
The place of letters;
The organization of pastoral care;
Two personal programs;
The delegation of responsibilities for pastoral care.
10. THE CONDUCT OF WORSHIP	199	(18)
Practical preliminaries;
Punctuality, bearing, and voice;
Some constituent parts of public worship;
The invitation to worship;
Hymns, psalms, and spiritual songs;
The public reading of Scripture;
Announcements or notices;
Public prayer.
11. THE RESPONSIBILITY TO LEAD	217	(20)
Leadership—both a gift and a calling;
The practice of leadership;
Areas of leadership;
The relationship of leaders to each other.
12. DELEGATION	237	(24)
Old but timely lessons;
The sad consequences of no delegation;
Reluctance to delegate;
The benefits of delegation;
Areas of delegation;
Principles of successful delegation.
13. FAMILY AND LEISURE	261	(28)
Identifying the pressure points;
The special pressures that may be upon a pastor's wife;
Safeguarding the marriage;
Relaxation and leisure.
14. PERILS TEMPERED BY PRIVILEGES	289	(22)
A variety of duties;
Complex social and moral problems;
Keeping people together;
Misconceptions about a pastor's calling;
Opposition and the spiritual battle;
Trials;
Laziness;
Discouragement;
Vulnerability to criticism;
Over-involvement with people's troubles, stress, and burnout;
An occasional desire to escape;
Pride and its attendant perils;
Hurting the church;
Privileges and compensations.
NOTES	311