Pastoral Perseverance (Paperback) by James B Carroll and Brian Croft

The call to ministry is a call to lay down your life for others.

It seems we have reached an unprecedented time of burnout and depression among pastors. These men often dedicate their lives to shepherding congregations without anyone who will care for them. Pastoral Perseverance could not have come at a more crucial time.

Seasoned pastors and authors, Brian Croft and James Carroll, strengthen pastors by pointing them to God’s word for help in facing the unique challenges of pastoral ministry in the modern day so that they will not merely survive, but stay, endure, and even thrive.

Selected Commendations:

“With biblical insight, refreshing realism, and faith-fueled hope, Brian and James coach us pastors into a lifetime of perseverance and resilience as we negotiate the minefields of pastoral ministry. I benefited from the deep wisdom of these pages and commend this book to every fellow pastor.”

Dane Ortlund, Author, Gentle and Lowly, Senior Pastor, Naperville Presbyterian Church

“Croft and Carroll have provided a very important text for those either in church leadership or aspiring toward it. With biblical depth and practical wisdom, they lay out a model for developing pastors and carrying out the ministry with a Word-centered, theologically driven methodology."

Tony Merida, Author, Love Your Church; Pastor, Imago Dei Church, Raleigh, NC

"Brian Croft and James Carroll provide a well-thought-out roadmap toward pastoral perseverance. Avoiding cliche-type advice, they face the barriers to perseverance with biblical answers applied in the crucible of real-life ministry. I finished the book encouraged and refreshed, with new insight to press on in ministry."

Phil A. Newton, PhD, Retired pastor; Author, 40 Questions About Pastoral Ministry; Director of Pastoral Care & Mentoring for the Pillar Network

"It’s always tempting to unplug, either by throwing in the towel and quitting or by becoming a robot just going through the motions. Brian Croft and James Carroll argue there’s a better way – the path of Jesus, the faithful shepherd who didn’t run away and flee when he saw the wolf coming. Stick with Jesus and his word, counsel brothers Croft and Carroll."

Harold L. Senkbeil, Author, The Care of Souls

"Well acquainted with the challenges of ministry, Croft and Carroll offer a biblical, systematic, and wise treatment of pastoral perseverance. But they also address the heart, urging pastors not only to preach the gospel of grace but to imbibe in it."

Jonathan Dodson, Author, The Unwavering Pastor; Founder of gcdiscipleship.com

Title

Pastoral Perseverance
Author(s)

James B Carroll and Brian Croft
Series

Practical Shepherding
ISBN

9781783973545
Format

Paperback
Publisher

Evangelical Press
Topic

Leadership
Audience

Church Leaders
Pages

128
Published

02/05/2024

Download a sample

James B Carroll

James B. Carroll has been the Senior Pastor at Parkway Baptist in Bardstown, Kentucky since 2010.

See other titles by this author

Brian Croft

Brian Croft is Senior Pastor of Auburndale Baptist Church in Louisville, KY, and Senior Fellow of the Church Revitalization Center at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He founded Practical Shepherding and is the author of many books.

See other titles by this author

Overall rating

5.0 based on 1 review

Short but remarkably extensive and spiritually challenging

The modern pastor is put under an unprecedented amount of pressure in the modern culture of pastoral ministry; burnout, depression and even suicide amongst pastors has reached alarming levels. Whilst pastoral ministry is already a deeply challenging calling, the unhealthy modern church culture of pragmatism and secular driven business models of success have created a toxic climate that crushes many pastors.

Speaking into this current crisis in pastoral ministry, the authors share in their own experiences in ministry and take the reader right back to the biblical basis to explain how the pastor can can not only endure but be able to stay and thrive.

The book itself is divided up into six chapters, each of these chapters are rooted in Scripture, whilst also being very practical in diagnosing the different problems in pastoral ministry and systematically exploring them:

1. A Need to Qualify
2. A Call to Take Heed
3. A Conviction to Shepherd
4. An Urgency to Preach
5. A Tenacity to Suffer
6. A Resolve to Die

Each chapter begins by presenting a common pastoral problem, before expounding the relevant Scripture and applying it into the calling of the pastor, and concluding with some very helpful shared experiences from the authors.

As a minister myself, I found this book deeply encouraging, comforting and also deeply challenging as well. It made me want to go back to basics and reflect on my own failures, hurts and discouragements in pastoral ministry and how I would take heed from the wealth of biblical counsel offered in this excellent book.

In conclusion, this short but remarkably extensive and spiritually challenging book gets right to the heart of what pastoral ministry really is and any man who is engaged in pastoral ministry will almost certainly find the wisdom and help they are looking for.

*Disclaimer: @10ofthose kindly provided me with a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.