Prepare Them to Shepherd: Test, Train, Affirm, and Send the Next Generation of Pastors

Ministering The Master's Way

by Brian Croft, R. Albert Mohler Jr. (Foreword)

What is the Biblical model for preparing the next generation of pastors? Who is truly responsible to affirm those called? And how does the local church work with those who sense a desire to pursue this difficult role? In the past, the training and sending of individuals into full-time pastoral ministry and missionary work was viewed as the responsibility of the local church. Today, much of that responsibility has been passed on to Bible colleges, seminaries, and parachurch and mission organizations.
The aim of Prepare Them to Shepherd is to challenge local churches to recover the biblical model for ministerial training and assume responsibility to identify and prepare gifted and godly individuals for service in Christ's body. Part of the Practical Shepherding series of books by pastor Brian Croft, this insightful book provides pastors and ministry leaders with the practical help they need to test, train, affirm, and send those who are called into ministry.

Genres: Leadership, Ecclesiology, Church

109 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Brian Croft is Senior Pastor of Auburndale Baptist Church in Louisville, Kentucky. Brian is the founder of Practical Shepherding, a non-profit organization committed to equipping pastors all over the world in the practical matters of pastoral ministry.

Reviews

[Ricardo Daglio · Rating 5 out of 5]

Este año pude leer tres o cuatro libros referentes al ministerio. Los libros apuntaban a diferentes momentos en el proceso de entrar, evaluar, estar dentro o participar de lo que significa un verdadero llamado biblicamente fundamentado. Este libro en particular me ha resultado sumamente provechoso. No menosprecie el lector su aparente breve tamaño puesto que el contenido está perfectamente equilibrado de manera que suple satisfactoriamente la necesidad de comprender de qué manera puede llevarse a cabo intencionalmente la búsqueda, observación y mentoreo de futuros siervos. Me causó gran satisfacción leer sobre la importancia radical que tiene el entender el rol de la Iglesia local que es de donde deben salir los obreros. No son las instituciones paraeclesiasticas sino las iglesias locales las que han de enviar obreros preparados. Te animo a leer este libro si entiendes ingles.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

More on how to select candidates for pastor training than on actually training them. Rightly emphasizes the primary role of the local church in training pastors, seeing seminary training as academically helpful but secondary to the training the local church should provide. Clear and concise.

[Eric Durso · Rating 4 out of 5]

At less than 100 pages, this is a good overview of how a church should work to train up and send out pastors.

[Eugen Olsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short & helpful, yet perhaps too short

This was an enjoyable read, and Brian’s clear and simple writing comes from personal experience and careful thought.
There were a couple important sections I believe could have been fleshed out with more clarity due to their importance; for example, church discipline (which will be one of the hardest, yet most important part of shepherding) needed to have emphasis on the purity of the church, which is to even take precedence over our desire to see a member restored; consider Paul’s fierce language, especially in 1 Cor 5 (“remove the evil one from your midst” which rings with the dreadful tones from Leviticus) and Peter’s sharp statement “judgment must begin in the house of God”, and even Titus 3:10 where a factious man must go into “fast-track discipline” for the sake of the church.
While the book desires to lay out a biblical approach to preparing men for eldership - and accomplishes this in under 100 pages - what may have elevated it further is a tighter exposition and connection to the key passages undergirding our theology and instruction in these matters (Matt 18, 1 Cor 5, Timothy, Titus, etc).
Something to greatly commend Brian would be his simple, clear instruction regarding this important issue without becoming embroiled in the particulars of various schools of thought by simply laying out the biblical pattern. Recommended!

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good short book on the idea of calling, and specifically how a local church should act in its role as the "external" call to those who desire to pastor. I picked up trying to think through how to structure an internship program and did not find it overly helpful for that purpose (though it is not without good ideas), but if you are looking for a good introduction to understanding where the local church fits in the equation of preparing ministers, this is great. One small critique: I think the majority of their advice could be used for non-vocational pastors, but it feels much more aimed at those who want to work as pastors or missionaries. Just be aware of that if you are thinking about this for elder training.

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good, if not especially exhaustive, look at the topic of preparing the men of your congregation to serve as pastors and leaders. If your church has no current plan, this will be a good resource. If you already have a plan that is working well, you probably won't get a whole lot out of this book. But the book itself is solid and very scripturally and practically grounded.

[Trevor Peck · Rating 4 out of 5]

Concise and biblical

If you’re looking for a detailed how-to manual, this is not the book. For that matter, it doesn’t claim to be. This is a concise and biblical book on the “why” the local church needs to take its responsibilities seriously in training up men for pastoral ministry. As such, it is both recommended and needed.

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

A clear process in training the next generation of pastors within a local church.

[Cole Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

AHHHHHHHHHH SOOOOOO GOOOOOOOOOOOOD

[Erik Spohr · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short, practical resource, ideal for men who aspire to pastoral ministry.

[Allan Burns · Rating 3 out of 5]

For being such a small book it gives a pretty good overview of what a church should be like.

[Mark A Powell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although one’s calling to ministry may be personal, it cannot be private. This distinction lies at the heart of Croft’s book, which encourages churches to actively recognize, train, and endorse those whom God chooses to serve Him in ministerial roles. Full of practical wisdom and strong challenges to both ministry candidates and their churches, Croft’s book is a much-needed resource for both those who feel led to minister and those to whom they will do so.

[JonM · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best aspect of this book is that it doesn't waste any time getting to each point. It's also very well organized, short, and easy to read. It also provides a helpful series of templates in the appendix for those considering a call to the ministry. The qualifications and prerequisites for being a minister of the gospel should not to be taken lightly, but rather should be tested, trained, and affirmed in a local church body before one is sent into ministry. And that's what this book is about.

[Mark Barnes · Rating 3 out of 5]

7/10: I didn't find this short book as helpful as others seem to have done. Perhaps that's because I'm already convinced of its central premise, that local churches must take responsibility in affirming the call of those going into ministry. What is said is correct enough, but I'm not sure there's sufficient depth to convince the doubters, nor add much for those who already accept the basic principle.

[Thomas Almanza · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book very clearly lays out the church's role in a man's personal calling concerning "full-time" Christian Service (particularly the Pastorate position). It is very full with Scripture (not KJV) :( But, nonetheless, they are directly applicable! He has a good balance between a man's calling and the church's involvement and training.

[Andrew Barlow · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book concisely argues for the local church's responsibility to affirm the external call of ministers. Croft helpfully lays a biblical and theological foundation for his position and gives practical advice for implimeting a process in the local church. Very helpful.

[Corey Hampton · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was okay. I didn't love it because I am serving in a european setting and this was written from a quite American perspective. It was, however, helpful in regards to thinking through the biblical requirements for becoming an elder and leader in the church.

[Jason]

Helpful, but not as helpful as I'd hoped...

This book is mostly written with established churches in mind. If there are already good systems and processes in place. Less helpful for those who have nothing in place.

For the amount of money, I expect more.

[Don Gale · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent, short overview of the importance of the local church recognizing and developing leaders.

[Seth Channell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great book on how a church should examine those who feel God's call into church leadership. I will be using the service review template in the future.