What do you think?
Rate this book
An All-Round Ministry
This is a pre-1923 historical reproduction that was curated for quality. Quality assurance was conducted on each of these books in an attempt to remove books with imperfections introduced by the digitization process. Though we have made best efforts - the books may have occasional errors that do not impede the reading experience. We believe this work is culturally important and have elected to bring the book back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide.
424 pages, Paperback
Published October 1, 1960
68 people are currently reading
258 people want to read
About the author
Charles Haddon Spurgeon
5,989 books1,616 followersCharles Haddon Spurgeon (1834-1892) was England's best-known preacher for most of the second half of the nineteenth century. In 1854, just four years after his conversion, Spurgeon, then only 20, became pastor of London's famed New Park Street Church (formerly pastored by the famous Baptist theologian, John Gill). The congregation quickly outgrew their building, moved to Exeter Hall, then to Surrey Music Hall. In these venues, Spurgeon frequently preached to audiences numbering more than 10,000—all in the days before electronic amplification. In 1861, the congregation moved permanently to the newly constructed Metropolitan Tabernacle.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
February 6, 2025
“Do I not remember when I first looked to Him, and was lightened? Do I not remember how often I have gone as a sinner to my Saviour’s feet, and looked anew at His wounds, and believed over again unto eternal life, feeling the old joy repeated by the deed? Brethren, I cannot preach anything else, for I know nothing else. New dogmas may or may not be true; but of the truth of this doctrine, I am sure.”
December 12, 2018
What a beautiful reprint of a classic has Banner of Truth given us in this volume! What a wonderful book worthy of this first-rate presentation! This book has been reprinted repeatedly since it was put together after Spurgeon’s death from his passionate addresses to preachers and those training to be. This hardback, though, is the nicest I’ve ever seen. It’s the one you will want on your shelves—one that will last for years and can be passed on.
If you are not already familiar with this book, you should understand that it differs from his famous Lectures To My Students. That fine book is more practical about ministry and is something of a handbook. An All-Round Ministry is all feeling and fire. Spurgeon became more isolated among English Christian academia as liberal headwinds began shifting and strengthening in his day. For him, it was Christ, the Gospel, and souls! The Gospel had not lost its power and he gives one impassioned plea after another in this book for preachers to not become unmoored from what we were called to do by Christ.
Be sure to read the fine introduction by Iain Murray. He excels in this kind of writing and enriches what you are about to read from Spurgeon.
All twelve addresses strike at the preacher’s heart. All call for loyalty to Christ and zeal. A few of the later ones reflect the battles he endured regarding the Downgrade Movement, but all speak to our passing opportunities. This book contains the exact encouragement we all need from time to time! It’s an essential book for preachers.
I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
If you are not already familiar with this book, you should understand that it differs from his famous Lectures To My Students. That fine book is more practical about ministry and is something of a handbook. An All-Round Ministry is all feeling and fire. Spurgeon became more isolated among English Christian academia as liberal headwinds began shifting and strengthening in his day. For him, it was Christ, the Gospel, and souls! The Gospel had not lost its power and he gives one impassioned plea after another in this book for preachers to not become unmoored from what we were called to do by Christ.
Be sure to read the fine introduction by Iain Murray. He excels in this kind of writing and enriches what you are about to read from Spurgeon.
All twelve addresses strike at the preacher’s heart. All call for loyalty to Christ and zeal. A few of the later ones reflect the battles he endured regarding the Downgrade Movement, but all speak to our passing opportunities. This book contains the exact encouragement we all need from time to time! It’s an essential book for preachers.
I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
August 2, 2013
This was an excellent, must-read for every man in or considering being in pastoral ministry. I also highly recommend it to any Christian who wants to be challenged in Gospel ministry seriously and without compromise. Spurgeon's steadfast stance on the faith once for all delivered to the saints is clearly displayed throughout the book. He challenges young preachers on areas like not diluting the Gospel, in order to attract more people to church. The Gospel is powerful in itself, so we don't need to "put on a show" in order to attract unbelievers to Jesus Christ. He also stresses the importance of always depending upon the power of God in preaching, so as not to become proud and fleshly in our preaching. This was my first time reading any of Spurgeon's works cover to cover, and Lord-willing it most definitely will not be the last. In case you misunderstood what I said at the beginning, I recommend any serious Christian read this book (not just preachers), although you'll notice quickly that Spurgeon is specifically addressing young preachers throughout each chapter.
June 25, 2021
2021 reads: #22
Rating: 4 Stars
This volume includes 12 of Spurgeon's presidential addresses at the annual conferences of his pastor's college. This is vintage Spurgeon, filled with his customary wit and illustrative genius. In many ways these speeches give us a glimpse into his life and what truly burdened him - seeing the gospel proclaimed, believers strengthened and souls saved to the glory of God.
It is clear that Spurgeon faced much theological opposition. Despite this his exhortations remain consistent and timeless. Spurgeon wants to see men gifted for ministry love God, love Christ, love His people, love the lost, love the truth without compromising it, live holy lives, and proclaim the gospel in the power of the Spirit.
This book as a collection of addresses is challenging and encouraging in equal measure.
Rating: 4 Stars
This volume includes 12 of Spurgeon's presidential addresses at the annual conferences of his pastor's college. This is vintage Spurgeon, filled with his customary wit and illustrative genius. In many ways these speeches give us a glimpse into his life and what truly burdened him - seeing the gospel proclaimed, believers strengthened and souls saved to the glory of God.
It is clear that Spurgeon faced much theological opposition. Despite this his exhortations remain consistent and timeless. Spurgeon wants to see men gifted for ministry love God, love Christ, love His people, love the lost, love the truth without compromising it, live holy lives, and proclaim the gospel in the power of the Spirit.
This book as a collection of addresses is challenging and encouraging in equal measure.
July 1, 2022
Excellent! Timeless! Challenging! Though the audio book recorded Bryan Nyman falls far short of doing it justice.
September 19, 2024
A wonderful book to slowly read and be encouraged by.
May 7, 2018
Du vrai Spurgeon. Très bon conseils - toujours actuels - pour ceux qui sont dans le ministère ou qui se forment dans ce but.
August 11, 2015
Summary: A collection of messages given by Charles Haddon Spurgeon as President of the Preachers College during their annual conferences.
Pastoral ministry has always been a demanding profession. If recent statistics are to believed, increasing numbers are struggling and as many as 1500 a month are leaving their ministries due to burnout, moral failure, or conflict. Fifty-seven percent indicate they would leave the ministry if they had somewhere else to go.
It appears that Charles Haddon Spurgeon, often called "the prince of preachers" was well aware of the challenges and pitfalls, as well as the glory of the ministerial calling. He trained a number of pastors in his Preachers College and annually gathered them at a conference over which he presided. An All Around Ministry is a collection of twelve of his addresses to this group.
His titles give some sense of the matters he dealt with in these addresses:
1. Faith
2. Forward!
3. Individuality, and Its Opposite
4. How to Meet the Evils of the Age
5. A New Departure
6. Light. Fire. Faith. Life. Love.
7. Strength in Weakness
8. What We Would Be
9. Stewards
10. The Evils of the Present Time, and Our Object, Necessities, and Encouragements
11. The Preacher's Power, and the Conditions of Obtaining It
12. The Minister in these Times
His concern throughout was to address the ministerial calling. His message titled "Stewards" probably is the best summary of his sense of ministry as being a steward of an entrusted message, the gospel, and an entrusted task, to bring people to faith and nurture them in it. He writes, "There is great truth in the old proverb that 'short reckonings make long friends.' If we make short reckonings with God, we shall be long friends with Him."
The messages are filled with advice for staying vital in one's ministry through the practice of faith, the nurturing of spiritual disciplines that deepen one's spiritual vigor, and lead to one's being empowered of God for the work. He also warns of the dangers of deviating from personal holiness and doctrinal soundness. While he placed a high value on cogent oratory, he gave preachers this warning: "Perishing sinners do not want poetry, they want Christ."
In reading these messages, one must understand that Spurgeon was a thoroughly persuaded evangelical of the Reformed perspective. The concerns he argued against in the "Down Grade Controversy" are evident here--a concern for deviation from biblical infallibility, the substitutionary atonement of Christ and the finality of judgment of the unrepentant. Nor does he have a kind word for Anglicanism and Catholicism.
What one does find in these addresses by Spurgeon is the voice of a pastor who has known weariness and discouragement as well as the glorious moments of fruitful ministry. He recognizes the forces both within and without that can derail one's ministry. And he is one who has had to lean into the resources that come, not from within, but from above to "run and not be weary, to walk and not faint." His message on "A New Departure" is all about pastoral renewal, as one example.
His seriousness about the pastoral calling is often punctuated with humor that is self-deprecating of the pastoral profession. At one point he writes:
"We must cultivate a cogent as well as a clear style; we must be forceful. Some imagine this consists in speaking loudly, but I can assure them they are in error. Nonsense does not improve by being bellowed."
It occurs to me that a pastor or others in ministry might do well to read one of these messages by Spurgeon each month, perhaps as part of a pastoral retreat or a time of personal examination. At times the voice may seem strange, or even harsh, and yet the insights and questions he raises seem to me essential for long term faithfulness to one's call.
Pastoral ministry has always been a demanding profession. If recent statistics are to believed, increasing numbers are struggling and as many as 1500 a month are leaving their ministries due to burnout, moral failure, or conflict. Fifty-seven percent indicate they would leave the ministry if they had somewhere else to go.
It appears that Charles Haddon Spurgeon, often called "the prince of preachers" was well aware of the challenges and pitfalls, as well as the glory of the ministerial calling. He trained a number of pastors in his Preachers College and annually gathered them at a conference over which he presided. An All Around Ministry is a collection of twelve of his addresses to this group.
His titles give some sense of the matters he dealt with in these addresses:
1. Faith
2. Forward!
3. Individuality, and Its Opposite
4. How to Meet the Evils of the Age
5. A New Departure
6. Light. Fire. Faith. Life. Love.
7. Strength in Weakness
8. What We Would Be
9. Stewards
10. The Evils of the Present Time, and Our Object, Necessities, and Encouragements
11. The Preacher's Power, and the Conditions of Obtaining It
12. The Minister in these Times
His concern throughout was to address the ministerial calling. His message titled "Stewards" probably is the best summary of his sense of ministry as being a steward of an entrusted message, the gospel, and an entrusted task, to bring people to faith and nurture them in it. He writes, "There is great truth in the old proverb that 'short reckonings make long friends.' If we make short reckonings with God, we shall be long friends with Him."
The messages are filled with advice for staying vital in one's ministry through the practice of faith, the nurturing of spiritual disciplines that deepen one's spiritual vigor, and lead to one's being empowered of God for the work. He also warns of the dangers of deviating from personal holiness and doctrinal soundness. While he placed a high value on cogent oratory, he gave preachers this warning: "Perishing sinners do not want poetry, they want Christ."
In reading these messages, one must understand that Spurgeon was a thoroughly persuaded evangelical of the Reformed perspective. The concerns he argued against in the "Down Grade Controversy" are evident here--a concern for deviation from biblical infallibility, the substitutionary atonement of Christ and the finality of judgment of the unrepentant. Nor does he have a kind word for Anglicanism and Catholicism.
What one does find in these addresses by Spurgeon is the voice of a pastor who has known weariness and discouragement as well as the glorious moments of fruitful ministry. He recognizes the forces both within and without that can derail one's ministry. And he is one who has had to lean into the resources that come, not from within, but from above to "run and not be weary, to walk and not faint." His message on "A New Departure" is all about pastoral renewal, as one example.
His seriousness about the pastoral calling is often punctuated with humor that is self-deprecating of the pastoral profession. At one point he writes:
"We must cultivate a cogent as well as a clear style; we must be forceful. Some imagine this consists in speaking loudly, but I can assure them they are in error. Nonsense does not improve by being bellowed."
It occurs to me that a pastor or others in ministry might do well to read one of these messages by Spurgeon each month, perhaps as part of a pastoral retreat or a time of personal examination. At times the voice may seem strange, or even harsh, and yet the insights and questions he raises seem to me essential for long term faithfulness to one's call.
August 7, 2014
I read this over the course of the past 6 months or so with some buddy's of mine in our non-pretentious book club.
Recommended to us by a pastor who claims he reads it annually for Spurgeon's many insights and charges, it certainly didn't fall short of my expectations.
Known as the Prince of Preachers, Spurgeon lives up to that claim in this collection of sermons which are believed to have been shared at an annual pastor's conference. Every chapter has a different topic and edifying charge to his pastoral audience and certainly doesn't fall short of the intended effect. If you've never read Spurgeon before, it's easy to get lost in his thoughts as he isn't prone to use bullet point as J.C. Ryle has been known to do.
It's a lot of fun to read in pdf format for quick underlining and an easy search option to figure out who the heck all these people and characters he references are. There are many AHA! moments to be had. I recommend this book.
Recommended to us by a pastor who claims he reads it annually for Spurgeon's many insights and charges, it certainly didn't fall short of my expectations.
Known as the Prince of Preachers, Spurgeon lives up to that claim in this collection of sermons which are believed to have been shared at an annual pastor's conference. Every chapter has a different topic and edifying charge to his pastoral audience and certainly doesn't fall short of the intended effect. If you've never read Spurgeon before, it's easy to get lost in his thoughts as he isn't prone to use bullet point as J.C. Ryle has been known to do.
It's a lot of fun to read in pdf format for quick underlining and an easy search option to figure out who the heck all these people and characters he references are. There are many AHA! moments to be had. I recommend this book.
July 13, 2013
Excellent book. Timeless. I found myself highlighting statements in every page. Definitely one that should be read over and over through the years.
Enjoyed the Ebook version because too many of Spurgeon's printed books have tiny print and close packed lines that make them difficult to read. With an Ebook you can increase the font size and spacing.
Enjoyed the Ebook version because too many of Spurgeon's printed books have tiny print and close packed lines that make them difficult to read. With an Ebook you can increase the font size and spacing.
December 13, 2008
Great to glean from those that have gone before you. As always we are to be Bereans seeking to weigh all things out in contrast with the Word, but that always begins with our own hearts. So let this book be a blessing to you.
July 17, 2015
Charles Haddon Spurgeon is one of the all-time great preachers of history. This book features some of Spurgeon's messages and lectures directed towards those in ministry. This work is a must-have for clergy and laity alike.
August 21, 2012
Even though it's old I REALLY learned a lot and recommend it to any future pastor/leader
Better than lectures to my students
Better than lectures to my students
November 25, 2014
An awesome collection of 12 of Spurgeon's best presidential addresses. Worth the read.
August 5, 2022
It's Spurgeon–I may be physically unable to rank any of his works with less than five stars. Since the time I started preaching, Spurgeon has been my main hero in the faith, although admittedly I have not read much of him in the last several years. I suppose it is a peculiarity of my own walk with the Lord that each new plateau of growth has been overcome in conjunction with a biography, and Arnold Dallimore's biography on Spurgeon was one of those that helped the most. So I am partial.
That said, there is a reason for my partiality. Spurgeon's single-minded boldness is an immense help to me. This book contains twelve of his keynote addresses at his annual pastor's conference, given between 1872 and 1890, two years before his death. It provides a wonderful picture of how Spurgeon changed as he aged (from 38 to 56), not in doctrine, nor even in primary emphasis, but in secondary emphases and somewhat in tone.
The first two addresses are fiery calls to arms: "Faith" and "'Forward!'" These were my favorite in the volume. Not many messages later Spurgeon is nearly overcome by gout and must give a very brief, disorganized message, for which he apologizes ("Strength in Weakness"). And toward the end of the collection it is clear that Spurgeon is immersed in the Down-grade Controversy against the higher criticism coming out of Germany.
So, five stars. May God grant all of his servants the heat and light of this one.
That said, there is a reason for my partiality. Spurgeon's single-minded boldness is an immense help to me. This book contains twelve of his keynote addresses at his annual pastor's conference, given between 1872 and 1890, two years before his death. It provides a wonderful picture of how Spurgeon changed as he aged (from 38 to 56), not in doctrine, nor even in primary emphasis, but in secondary emphases and somewhat in tone.
The first two addresses are fiery calls to arms: "Faith" and "'Forward!'" These were my favorite in the volume. Not many messages later Spurgeon is nearly overcome by gout and must give a very brief, disorganized message, for which he apologizes ("Strength in Weakness"). And toward the end of the collection it is clear that Spurgeon is immersed in the Down-grade Controversy against the higher criticism coming out of Germany.
So, five stars. May God grant all of his servants the heat and light of this one.
November 2, 2017
Spurgeon’s twelve addresses in An All-Round Ministry is faithful to its’ intended purpose as implied in its’ title, in helping both ministers and students as they face the challenges of ministry from a multitude of angles. Spurgeon delivers sobering reminders of the great work that is at hand, warnings regarding the different pitfalls experienced through ministry, and he describes the biblical nature of the task of a minister. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is currently in ministry or is an aspiring minister. As I read the book, it was as if Spurgeon himself were speaking to me personally, as the content is applicable and relevant. The book can be read as a message from an older, experienced pastor to one who is preparing for full-time ministry. Though the span of time between when Spurgeon delivered these addresses until today, many of his comments still ring true today. His diagnosis of the evils and the struggles in the nineteenth century are just as relevant today. Spurgeon delivers these pastoral addresses with great pastoral care, sensitivity, and deep insight into pastoral ministry.
August 2, 2018
Super encouraging for ministry students and pastors. Spurgeon really was like a Puritan surgeon of the soul. He seemed to have an abundance of God's grace for ministry and it spilled over into his pastor's college ministry addresses. This goes really well with his Lectures to My Students. May God bless you with this work.
March 11, 2019
This book contains Spurgeon's sermons addressed to his preaching students. Filled with fatherly like advice and many good insights about his convictions which are sure to challenge anyone looking to preach the word.
April 5, 2018
An excellent clarion call to ministers young and old in this age of flexible thinking and skittishness towards firm commitments and opinions.
October 9, 2018
"For my part, I am quite willing to be eaten of dogs for the next fifty years; but the more distant future shall vindicate me." - pp. 360
August 10, 2020
who doesn't love a good bit of revivalism, pietism, schismaticism, straw-men, and a dash of donatism in the morning? Oh right, I don't.
January 26, 2021
This is a collection of key note speeches filled with passion, heart, Spirit for Pastors. A joy to read with heart, mind and soul.
March 26, 2021
A fantastic little book. Recommended for all ministers of the gospel. Vintage Spurgeon.
December 27, 2021
Heartening
March 9, 2023
Awesome!
February 13, 2017
Please read this book. Spurgeon is at his best in this volume of sermons preached to the graduates of his seminary. Because of the collected nature you'll find it a bit disjointed, but read as a whole it is a tremendous trove of wisdom for pastors.
January 7, 2017
This book was a gift from my father when I was just beginning my studies for pastoral ministry. It was a wise gift.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews