Edited by Collin Hansen, Jeff Robinson Sr., Contributions by Timothy Keller, Dave Harvey, Bryan Chapell, Dan Doriani, Juan R. Sanchez, John Starke, Mark McCullough, Scott Patty, Tom Ascol, Brandon Shields
This book offers pastors examples of long-term faithfulness in ministry and practical wisdom from veteran pastors for real-life issues.
“In ministry, you need company—and the wiser the company, the better. Not all of us enjoy mutually encouraging pastoral friendships with the likes of the contributors to this volume, but here they welcome you into their own lives and experiences and doubts and heartbreaks and trials. In so doing, they offer counsel and hope for those in ministry. And we all need that.”
J. Ligon Duncan III, Chancellor, CEO, and John E. Richards Professor of Systematic and Historical Theology, Reformed Theological Seminary
“Pastors get worn down, discouraged, depleted, and depressed. This short but pastorally rich book will prove to be a spiritual tonic for pastors. I recommend reading and meditating on the essays in this book, which will provide strength and solace for the journey.”
Thomas R. Schreiner, James Buchanan Harrison Professor of New Testament Interpretation, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
“The apostle Paul wrote, ‘Follow me, as I follow Christ.’ We grow not only by learning true concepts but also by following faithful people. In Faithful Endurance, a team of veteran pastors invites younger pastors to follow them into the buffetings and temptations of ministry, offering the path of wisdom that the Lord faithfully provides for every new generation. I wish this fine book had been available to me when I was a young pastor.”
Ray Ortlund, Lead Pastor, Immanuel Church, Nashville, Tennessee
“Many pastors face unanticipated troubles—ministry discouragement, constant criticism, devotional dryness, or feelings of inadequacy and failure. They need seasoned leaders to speak directly to them in the midst of these challenging situations. And they need these leaders to share the wisdom they’ve learned from God’s Word and their own similar experiences. In other words, they need the stabilizing encouragement of this book. I wish I had had it years ago, and I gladly commend it to fellow pastors.”
Drew Hunter, Teaching Pastor, Zionsville Fellowship, Zionsville, Indiana; author, Made for Friendship
“I love this book! It is nearly impossible to overstate the wealth of seasoned, practical, pastoral wisdom that can be found in every chapter. Being called to be a pastor is a high honor, and being commissioned to preach the gospel is a beautiful thing, but the life of a pastor always includes seasons of hardship. Each chapter of this book speaks into those seasons with the tenderness of compassion, the grace of understanding, and the helpfulness of truth spoken in love. If you are a pastor, get this book, read it with an open heart, and then keep it near, because there will be seasons when you will reach for it again and find it to be your friend.”
Paul David Tripp, President, Paul Tripp Ministries; author, New Morning Mercies and Suffering
Table of Contents:
1. Is It Time for Me to Go? (D. A. Carson)
2. Ministry Has Left Me Spiritually Listless (Tim Keller)
3. My Preaching Always Sounds the Same (Bryan Chapell)
4. I’m Under the Fire of Criticism (Dan Doriani)
5. I Would Never Have Attended the Church I Now Lead (Tom Ascol)
6. My Wife Is Always in My Corner, but Never in the Ring (Juan R. Sanchez with Jeanine D. Sanchez)
7. They’ve Left, and I’m Crushed (Dave Harvey)
8. I’m Glad I Stayed in an Out-of-the-Way Place (Mark McCullough)
9. I’m Feeling Tired, Worn Out, and in Need of a Break (John Starke)
10. My Church Has Outgrown My Gifts (Scott Patty)
11. How Am I Going to Make It Financially? (Brandon Shields)
12. I’ve Come to Doubt My Calling (Jeff Robinson Sr.)
Afterword: An Interview with John MacArthur (Jeff Robinson Sr.)