The Pastor's Book: A Comprehensive and Practical Guide to Pastoral Ministry

by R. Kent Hughes, Douglas Sean O'Donnell (Editor)

Pastors are tasked with the incredibly demanding job of caring for the spiritual, emotional, and, at times‚ physical needs of their people. While seminary is helpful preparation for many of the challenges pastors face, there’s far more to pastoral ministry than what can be covered in the classroom. Designed as a reference guide for nearly every situation a pastor will face, this comprehensive book by seasoned pastors Kent Hughes and Doug O’Donnell is packed full of biblical wisdom and practical guidance related to the reality of pastoral ministry in the trenches. From officiating weddings to conducting funerals to visiting the sick, this book will equip pastors and church leaders with the knowledge they need to effectively minister to their flocks, both within the walls of the church and beyond.

Genres: Christian, Ecclesiology, Leadership, Christian Living, Christianity, Church, Reference

594 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 31, 2015

About the author

R. Kent Hughes (DMin, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) is senior pastor emeritus of College Church in Wheaton, Illinois, and a visiting professor of practical theology at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Hughes is also a founder of the Charles Simeon Trust, which conducts expository preaching conferences throughout North America and worldwide. He and his wife, Barbara, have four children and an ever-increasing number of grandchildren.

Reviews

[Christian Barrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book should be on every person in ministry’s shelf. It is full of all sorts hidden treasures and encouragement for those in ministry? Ever wondered how to set an order of worship for a wedding? A funeral? What texts to read during Christmas? Then this book is for you. I will cherish this book for a life time and continually refer to it, Lord willing, for my life in ministry. A must have.

[Ryan Jankowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is plenty of utility here.

[Shaun Marksbury · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my new favorite handbook for pastoral ministry. This beefy resource contains practical insights into pastoral ministry, including sample services and ceremonies. Recommended for all pastors.

[Alec Holloway · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good stuff! Wouldn’t have read all of this if it wasn’t for a class, but it’s got some really good sections (weddings, funerals, hospital visits, etc.), but the best sections were pastoral counseling and Sunday Worship. Those were amazing.

[Dave Betts · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some very good insights in this book. Although I’ve been in ministry a long time now, I am still a relatively new pastor, and as such I particularly appreciated another perspective on communion, pastoral counselling and hospital visitations; areas that take a reasonable amount of my time but in which I’ve had little meaningful training.

I only have one criticism. Having read several similar books of this nature, I found “The Pastor’s Book” to be a little too stylistically prescriptive, and does not account for healthy, expected differences. What if the congregation were predominantly recent converts as opposed to a gathering of mature believers? What of the differences between rural and urban ministry? What about cultural considerations? What about age demographics?

The theological underpinnings of the book and general approaches to ministry clearly transcend style and certain aspects of practice. Nevertheless, I feel it is important not to conflate the two, and for that reason I can’t give the book more than three stars.

[Michael Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read and guide for pastors for doing ministry in various situations. The book is around 600 pages and is a very thorough title that will greatly aid pastors in either in or outside a local church. Some of the may topics covered include:

1. Marriages.
2. Funerals.
3. Sunday morning worship services.
4. Pastoral ministry (hospital/home visitation, counseling, etc.
5. Conducting the Lord's Supper.
6. Performing a baptism.
7. Leading special services (Christmas, Easter, etc.).

The book is very thorough, gives excellent guidance and suggestions for a particular situation, covers a wide variety of relevant topics, has a good mixture of spiritual and practical suggestions, and includes helpful appendices and a thorough index.

Great help for the seasoned or new pastor or a layperson who helps in various ministry situations. Very good and helpful read and recommended.

I was given a review copy by Crossway in exchange for a fair review and appreciate the opportunity.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hughes and O'Donnell give a masterful presentation of the occupational side of the pastor's calling. The book is chock-full of practical helps, from helping to plan a funeral to baptismal services and visitation and pastoral counseling.

The bibliography of the compilation is an extraordinary wealth of knowledge to a pastor and should prove to make one's shelves groan, as well as the Amazon driver.

[Jonathan Bradley · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Pastor's Book is one that I think all pastor's should have on their shelves. Whether you are a new pastor (like me) or you have been pastoring for decades, this book covers a wide variety of areas of pastoral ministry. I have already found it useful in my ministry, and I just read it over the past five weeks. So, if you are wanting a good book full of practical applications of pastoral ministry, The Pastor's Book is for you.

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an incredible, practical, helpful resource for pastors. It covers so much ground with really helpful insight, background, and resources. Truly a treasure. This may be my new go-to ordination gift for pastors and leaders!

[Derek Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great resource for pastors

[Benjamin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good resource.

[David Meye · Rating 5 out of 5]

Should be on every pastor and lay leaders shelf.

[S Dunn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic for building liturgies, answering the questions seminar did not prepare you for, and good general wisdom.

[Michael Schwander · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tremendous resource. The purpose of this book is not to merely read it but to use it. All seminary students desiring to go into pastoral ministry should invest in this book.

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very helpful for what it intends to be: a set of suggestions, thought-provoking ideas, and general guidance for pastoral ministry. But let it be said: no one book, apart from the Scriptures, can make a pastor!

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Are you a pastor? If you are, do you know your role well? Will you be able to find good reference materials on how to do your job well? Pastors will now be able to find excellent help in this book. As an experience pastor, R. Kent Hughes wants to pastors young and old with their ministries and has put all of these into this book.

Hughes starts first by teaching readers the biblical understanding of the worship service and highlighting the different components of a service. Next, he talks about some annual and special services and gives readers plenty of examples that they can refer and even utilise in this own churches.

Next, Hughes spends time talking about the important of public prayer. Although prayer is a topic that many books have been written about. Public prayer is not one that has been covered much. Given that pastors will find themselves often leading the congregation in prayer, this will be section that will be immensely important and practical for pastors. Hughes also has a section on the music and lyrics of songs used in a worship service. Hughes gives practical advice to pastors so they are able to navigate through the worship wars, yet be able to understand what the lyrics of a songs is supposed to do.

Lastly, Hughes also covers other important aspects such as counselling and hospital visitation. Pastors who are new to this may sometimes feel helpless when there is not one to guide them. This book by Hughes will then supplement this gap.

Pastors, young or old will find this book helpful. For young pastors this will be a helpful material to give some breadth and depth to the understanding of the ministry of the church. For older pastors, this will be a good reference material and also a good guide for you as you re-examine and evaluate your own ministry. Hopefully this book will help pastors grow and mature in the way they minister to their congregation.

Rating: 4.75 / 5

Disclaimer: I was given this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

[Shaun Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would imagine that this book especially if you are (or know someone who is or is going to be) a relatively new pastor that has just gone into ministry. Many of the chapters alone would make the US$30 seem like a serious bargain (like the ones on weddings, funerals, prayers, pastoral counselling); each of these chapters highlighted in parentheses are, in my opinion, worth the price of the book. The authors hail from a more conservative and liturgical background, but have countless insights, suggestions and advice that even more "modern" and less-liturgical people like me will find timelessly helpful.

My guess (and what I have been told) is that Bible School would prepare one to be relatively adept at interpreting (and hopefully preaching) Holy Scripture. But we are still novice apprentices when it comes to various aspects of pastoral ministry: sunday worship services, annual services, weddings, funerals, public prayers, creeds, hymns/songs, baptism, communion, pastoral counselling, hospital visitation (the chapters run in that order). After reading through the whole book, I felt that I had just graduated from the pastor-jedi academy, quite skilled but yet still an apprentice.

I am astounded by the Appendix. What a labour of love to compile sample wedding services from Anglican, Baptist, Lutheran, Presbyterian traditions! I was thoroughly blessed. If I could highlight the chapter I enjoyed the most, it would be Robert W. Evan's Chapter 11 on Pastoral Counselling. It is a tour de force that packed page after page of timelessly helpful and valuable advice. I heartily recommend this book!

I received this book from the Crossway's Beyond the Page Program in exchange for this review.

[Andrew Wencl · Rating 4 out of 5]

It seems like quite a few books have come out recently aimed at equipping pastors for the job of being a pastor. One of which, The Pastor’s Book, written by veteran pastor Kent Hughes and Douglas Sean O’Donnell, comes in at almost 600 pages. It’s a mammoth book aimed at being the pastor’s go-to resource. It has large sections on Christian gatherings (Sundays, yearly events, weddings, funerals), the service itself, and the pastor’s duties. The bulk of the book comes from the author’s extended thoughts on each of the topics, as well as numerous examples of orders of service, prayers, vows, et cetera. The author’s extended treatments are well-reasoned, but are too long for most who’ve given much thought to matters like baptism or music.

I think the most valuable part of the book were the samples, many of which include links to PDF files online to download. Buying the ebook directly from Crossway’s website would allow you to copy and paste the layouts into word if you wanted to make some alterations that better fit your preferences for various services, such as the wedding service.

I was surprised to find that amongst all the articles and samples there was nothing on ordination services. Granted, these services aren’t as common as weddings or funerals, but they are nevertheless important to include.

Overall, I'd recommend it if for nothing else than the samples.

I received a copy of this book from Crossway in order to provide this review.

[Werner Braun · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dieses Buch ist für mich ein echtes Must-Have für jeden Pastor – egal ob am Anfang des Dienstes oder schon mit vielen Jahren Erfahrung. Besonders angehende oder junge Pastoren werden enorm profitieren, aber auch „alte Hasen“ finden hier wertvolle Impulse. Zwar merkt man an manchen Stellen den angelsächsischen Kontext des Autors, doch die Inhalte lassen sich mit etwas Anpassung sehr gut in unseren eigenen Kontext übertragen.

Der Aufbau ist klar gegliedert in drei Teile: Christian Gatherings, Parts of the Worship Service und Ministerial Duties. Damit deckt das Werk ein sehr weites Feld ab: vom sonntäglichen Gottesdienst über Feiertage und Kasualien bis hin zu Gebeten, Bekenntnissen, Liedern und Sakramenten sowie seelsorgerlicher Begleitung und Hausbesuchen. Jedes Thema wird nicht nur praktisch, sondern auch theologisch reflektiert – mal ausführlicher, mal knapper – und stets mit einer Fülle an Hinweisen, Fragen, Beispielen, Musterabläufen und Predigten sowie Gebeten angereichert.

Besonders hilfreich finde ich den Abschnitt zu den Kasualien. Dort habe ich schon mehrfach Anregungen gefunden, die sich direkt in der Praxis umsetzen ließen. Das Buch ist weniger zum Durchlesen gedacht, sondern vielmehr ein Nachschlagewerk, das man immer wieder gezielt zur Hand nimmt – und dann merkt, wie nützlich und inspirierend es ist.

Fazit: Ein umfassendes, praxisnahes Handbuch, das theologische Tiefe mit praktischer Hilfestellung verbindet. Klare Empfehlung!

[Michael Harshman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Please see my detailed review here: http://thechristianreviewer.blogspot....

"The Pastor's Book" is not designed to be one of those quick read and forget it. Rather, this book is the type of book that you find yourself coming back to at different times of your ministry as you face different situations. At 585 pages (not including the index pages), this book is very full of helpful information for anyone in the ministry. The author nicely covers many different topics such as conducting services, funerals, weddings, baptisms and many other very useful topics. This book does cover quite a bit of different liturgies including a very well written section on ministerial duties from counseling to visitations. I would highly recommend this book for anyone in the ministry.
I received an electronic copy of this book in exchange for this review from Crossway and all opinions are my own.

[Cho Yim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good practical book for pastors which gives good worship songs and scripture passages to preach for occassions such as weddings, funerals, Christian holidays, and so forth. The biblical counseling section was a bit too specific describing every detail. Overall causes very good discussion on church matters for the pastor. Helps in showing how intention pastors can be in aspects of church services.

[Allen Tsai · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some parts were really helpful and practical, like the beginning chapters. Other sections (Biblical Counseling) came off a bit pedantic and longwinded (Strangely, the shortest chapter on hospital visitation came next). The framework of the book does allow for good discussion and further thought.

[Daniel Wells · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great resource. Only critique is that I wish the book was more balanced. Chapters that deal more with Monday through Saturday would have been good.

The Pastor and his schedule, spiritual disciplines, sermon prep, regular visitation and catechesis, etc. are so important and deserved attention.

[Mark A Powell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid resource full of great theology and a ton of helpful resources and samples. It won't do the work for you, but if you're going to do the work, it will help you do it well.