The Christian Ministry: With an Inquiry into the Causes of Its Inefficiency

by Charles Bridges

The classic of Christian ministerial thought by Charles Bridges is presented to the reader anew in this superb edition, complete with the author's annotations. The author considered that the ministry's failings in certain core duties sufficient genesis for a book. Why did this failure occur? Had modern priests and ministers lost their way from the tradition and essence of Christian belief? Were corruptions of the heart frequent and getting commoner? These questions are answered with unflinching sincerity: humans, including the ordained, have shortfalls which can only be assuaged by opening one's heart completely to God. The later parts of the text focus upon the essential duties of the churchman: preaching with the aim of uniting congregation and community in an unstinting belief in the Lord is not a simple matter. Rather we discover it to be a diverse practice; the preacher must not only incorporate aspects of the doctrinal and scriptural truths, but be sensitive to the emotions of his churchgoers.

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

242 pages, Paperback

First published August 11, 2015

Reviews

[Peter Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am always convicted by this book. Bridges hits on pride, worldliness, and laziness to varying degrees. Last time I was convicted about my study habits. This time is was about my fear of men and want of affection for Christ and His people. His section on preaching plainly with clear application was also helpful. The book will not appeal to all. But there is little doubt that most ministers can find some gold that will strengthen them in their labors.

Read previously in 2010. Here is my review from then:

There were several sections of this book I found particularly convicting. Bridges does not mention much about liturgy or the Sacraments. So if you are looking for that this not your book. But that is where I have done a lot of reading. So it was not that necessary for me. But he does bring up things like laziness, hypocrisy, want of zeal and failure in family life. The chapter on "Preparation for the Christian Ministry" especially the section on study habits was like a knife in my soul. How many ministers squander hours on useless labors? Bridges is strong where many younger pastors are weak. I needed this book.

[Owen Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well of biblical exhortation, teaching, and experienced observation regarding pastoral ministry from a wise man. The author’s knowledge and love of God’s Word is apparent.

[Brenton · Rating 5 out of 5]

First published in 1830, Charles Bridges explores the role of the pastor in The Christian Ministry. I would suggest taking this one extremely slow as it is very deep and gives much to ponder.

If you would like an easier read with very similar content and many many quotes from Charles Bridges, I would suggest Albert N Martin's - Pastoral Theology - The Man of God series.

The first book in The Man of God series can be found here:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4...

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Christian Ministry by Charles Bridges is simply one of the most powerful books I've ever read. Virtually every page was helpful. Bridges' book is a theological and practical expose' on what it means to be a Christian pastor and preacher. It is significant that a book this old (1849) is still incredibly relevant. There are five parts to the book - let me give a quick run-down of each.

I. In part one, Bridges covers the origin, institution, dignity, use, necessity, trials, difficulties, comforts, encouragements, and qualifications of the Christian ministry, along with four steps of preparation for the ministry: habits of general study, special study of the Scriptures, habits of special prayer, and employment in the cure of souls.

II-III. Parts two and three deal with five general reasons and ten personal reasons why ministers are often ineffective. The general reasons include:

1. the withholding of divine influence

2. the enmity of the natural heart of man

3. the power of Satan

4. local hindrances

5. and the lack of a Divine call to ministry

The personal reasons (i.e. causes of ministerial inefficiency connected with our personal character) are:

1. want of entire devotedness of heart

2. conformity to the world

3. the fear of man

4. the want of Christian self-denial

5. the Spirit of covetousness

6. neglect of retirement (time alone with God)

7. the influence of spiritual pride

8. the absence or defect of personal religion

9. the defect of family relgion; and the want of connection of the Minister's family with his work

10. lack of faith

I can scarcely describe how heart-searching these chapters were. When I was working through these some months back, I felt very deep apprehension and fear over my personal accountability to God for the souls in my charge. I needed (still need) to feel that and Bridges pressed it into my heart like probably no author ever has. Those of you who know me best will readily see how much work yet needs to be done in my life regard to these ten things. Pray for me.

IV. Part four of the book details the public work of the Christian Ministry. Much space is given to the task of preaching, including the institution and importance of preaching, and preparation for the pulpit. The last sections of the book I actually read were those detailing the Scriptural mode of preaching the Law and the Scriptural mode of preaching the Gopsel. I suppose I put these off, because I didn't think I would agree with Bridges on his view of the Law, but I actually benefited immensely. I just underlined and underlined and underlined. It is so rich. Then there are also chapters on the mode of preaching (addressing both topical and expository preaching and extempore and written sermons) and the "Spirit of Scriptural preaching" (broken down into seven qualities: boldness, wisdom, plainness, fervency, diligence, singleness, and love).

V. Finally, part five deals with the Pastoral Work of the Christian Ministry, addressing first, the nature and importance of the pastoral work, and second how to treat specific cases in pastoral work (i.e. the infidel, the ignorant and careless, the self-righteous, the false professor, natural and spiritual convictions, the young Christian, the backslider, the unestablished Christian, and the confirmed and consistent Christian.) This was an especially helpful section, giving much encouragement to me in the midst of some challenging pastoral responsibilities, and also supplying much insight in how to apply the Word to specific kinds of people.

It is impossible for me to do justice to the helpfulness of this book. I really know of nothing else quite like it, except maybe Spurgeon's Lectures to My Students. But I think this is even better than that - because of its focus not just on preaching, but on pastoral work. Bridges is eloquent and full of the Gospel. Like Spurgeon said of Bunyan, he just bleeds Bible - prick him anywhere and his blood is bibline. He was also very well-read in the Patristics, the Reformers, and the Puritans, and quotes from their works often. There are lots of gems scattered throughout that it would be almost impossible for anyone to find elsewhere, unless they pursued a PhD in church history. Perhaps the best thing I can say is that the book has weight - gravity. It is a serious book, but serious in a joy-giving and helpful sort of way. If you are a pastor or elder (or want to be), I highly recommend that you read it.

[Jose Ovalle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book would have been pretty mind blowing and world rocking if I didn’t have Dr Troxel as a professor these last four years of seminary, who formed us in such a way that a lot of the truths in this book were sort of no brainers (though I am still very much in the new-born phase when it comes to applying them.)


Giving it 5 stars bc it’s still really good stuff

[Benjamin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ma lecture préférée depuis bien longtemps. A recommander à tous les pasteurs et anciens. Certainement un livre que je vais lire et relire plusieurs fois dans ma vie !

[Ryan Hawkins · Rating 3 out of 5]

To my surprise, this was thoroughly disappointing! Old, famous books, especially from this 1600-1800’s are usually gems. I can’t think of a book that is this famous (in ministry circles) that I’ve read that has been this disappointing. But honestly, I can’t give this more than 3 stars.

The biggest flaw of the book is how he just goes on and on and on, without much substance, with long, usually unhelpful quotes, with boring, bullet-point type argumentation and style, and without (to my surprise) many really helpful insights.

It is 410 pages, so of course there’s some helpful nuggets in here. But overall, it was a drag to read. It could’ve and should’ve been 150 pages max, and then it would’ve been overall helpful. But it wasn’t, and so I can’t recommend it. I will, though, consult it for my underlined portions in the future.

[Josh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very powerful book and would recommend for anyone going into ministry. I was convicted throughout. Bridges’ sincerity and godly character shine through his words. He speaks well-articulated truths that cut to the heart today for a generation who desperately needs it

[Christian Barrett · Rating 4 out of 5]

This work is a fantastic guide to Christian Ministry, and despite being a dated resource is timelessly relevant. Bridges compiles a great treatise on how a minister of the gospel is to live and works through the duties of the pastor and of the church as a whole. In doing so he provides apt examples pertaining to sermon writing and giving to pastoral counseling. I wish I had read this sooner, and am slightly disappointed I did not have to read this for any of my courses in seminary. There are some sections that can get long and tedious, but for the most part this is an easy read.

[Philip Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

A classic. Brimming with sage advice. Tolle lege!

[Hayden Mills · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent. Maybe a bit intense, but wonderful quotes and illustrations. I love his law gospel in preaching at the end of the book.

[Mark Donald · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read with our pastoral interns.

Rich reflections on:-

1. View of Christian Ministry
2. Causes of a lack of success in ministry
3. Personal character for ministry
4. Preaching
5. Shepherding

Highly recommended!

[Dane Jöhannsson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best book on pastoral ministry by far. This book stands guard as a watchman over the entrance to the ministry. If you are thinking about becoming a pastor, you must read this book. Current pastors would do well to read this once a year.

[Pete Williamson · Rating 5 out of 5]

going through this again with a fellow pastor in town. there are few books on pastoral ministry that are as provocative and soul-searching as this.

[Jerry · Rating 5 out of 5]

This classic is simply unparalleled for the minister of the gospel. Although written in 1830, Bridges counsel is timeless! Outstanding!!

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

This classic text on the pastor's work of Christian ministry was at times heavy and difficult to read, but, boy, does it reveal much gold for those who are willing to dig! This book is absolutely packed with memorable and penetrating quotations. It also cuts deep to the heart: revealing the pastor's struggles, inadequacies, pride, and ineptitude. But the pastor is not left bleeding: Bridges always points back to the work of Christ on the cross.

I'm not sure I'll ever read this again cover-to-cover, but it would be very valuable to occasionally dig here and there to uncover a few gold nuggets.

[Ian Hammond · Rating 5 out of 5]

If this book was written today by someone else, it would ground the lack of effectiveness in ministry in completely different things. This is why this is such an extraordinary book. Several points that this book highlights are way out of the minds of modern writers and readers (including myself). Entire chapters are devoted to things like "conformity to the world," "fear of man," and "the want of faith." Bridges locates much of ministry ineffectiveness in the minister's character (though he starts with just the general challenges of ministry outside of the minister's control). I rarely hear this brought up in discussion of ministry fruitlessness. Though Bridges is piercing in several places, his overall tone is pastoral and inspiring

[Scott Petty · Rating 2 out of 5]

A true slog to read. Verbose with an overabundance of quotations. Written by an Anglican pastor with too much space devoted to defense of the doctrines and practices of the 'Establishment' church (e.g. infant baptism). It is not that there is nothing to be gleaned from this book but that what little is there is not worth the time and effort.

[Ben Lacey · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books I have ever read on the pastoral ministry. Every pastor—or anyone who desires to pastor—will be encouraged, convicted, and blessed by this book. Though first published in 1830, its content is timeless and full of pastoral wisdom—and will prove as an unfailing friend and guide in the daunting task of shepherding. I am a better Christian, man, and pastor because of Charles Bridges, The Christian Ministry.

[Pat Baird · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a beautifully written, systematic, and eloquent, love letter to the Christian minister about his calling.

I would encourage every minister of the gospel to read Charles Bridge’s, The Christian Ministry.

[Brady Boatwright · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even an abridged version of a book written in 1830 is hard to read and fully digest. Great insight and wisdom from Bridges, while he does seem to ramble a bit and I'm not sold on his balance of expository and topical preaching.

[Noah Buresh · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s been beloved for a long time for a good reason, but you can also tell that it’s been around for a long time. You better be strapped with a dictionary for 1800’s vocabulary near you at all times.

[Jake Baur · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book to read and reread. Full of wisdom, conviction, and challenge. Every pastor or aspiring pastor should read this book. It places the office where it belongs: in considerable weightiness and inexpressible joy. Bridges knows the heart and the ministry.

[Rhys Plant · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books I’ve read on being a pastor. If you are in, or are considering going into ministry, it is well worth your time.

[Tanner Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

I understand why Spurgeon required this for the Pastor’s College.

This was practically rich and pastorally wise.

Great read.

[Alejandro Guillen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read about half of the book for a class as required reading. Really astounding.

[Chandler Kelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thorough and practical.

[Travis Robnett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extremely rich and experiential.

[Caleb Meyers · Rating 5 out of 5]

I believe this is the most helpful and insightful book I have read on the ministry as a whole as opposed to an individual part of it. It is better than Lectures to My Students because it lacks some of the oddities that Spurgeon includes, like his reprimanding opinion on expository and verse-by-verse preaching. It is better than Reformed Pastor because it is more balanced and explains all the aspects of the ministry. It is better than Preaching and Preachers because it covers more than just the preacher in behind the pulpit and in his sermon preparation.
This book was divided into five heads: an overview of ministry, hinderances to the ministry in general, person flaws that detract from the ministry, the public ministry (in which he focused primarily on preaching) which was the longest, and finally the pastoral work of the ministry, which I thought to be the most helpful.
In the first part of the book, I found sections on the qualifications for the ministry and the studying in the ministry to be most insightful. He only comments on three main qualifications, spiritual character, spiritual attainments, and spiritual gifts. Spiritual character means that he is wholly committed spiritual things. It is that which constitutes his thoughts. His whole nature is far from this earth, and is occupied continually with those things which occupy the mind of God, and with exalting that which exalts. By spiritual attainments he merely means that a preacher must have experimental knowledge of the Lord. He cannot simply have a spiritual mindset, but must actually know through prayer and through spiritual eyesight the goodness of Jehovah. Spiritual gifts are the most practical of three. Not only must his soul and character be spiritual, and not only must he experiencedly know God, but he must be able to impart these to others. I found the habits of general study helpful because they demonstrated both a focus on spiritual things, but also a diversity of sources. Many pastors only drink from one stream, and so they have vitamin deficiencies in their ministry that could be solved by mining from other veins of Christian thought, and others are too diversified, especially into things of this earth or into academic things.
Within the second section of the book, the section on the enmity within man as the cause for a want of ministerial success succinctly explained why as ministers we are so constantly lacking in the receptivity that we hoped would accompany the word of God. His comment on the Local Hinderances were interesting, although I do not have enough experience to know which of those would be the most pertinent. His section 6 on the want of the divine call was the most convicting. A call constitutes but two things, he says, a desire for the ministry, and giftedness therein. Desire arises, not just from a desire to lead the church, but from a spirit wholly unattached to fame or monetary benefits, but a zeal and fervor that seeks the salvation and edification of the hearers of the message. Secondly, the gifting he said is confirmed by two main things: providence, that is, God both giving you the ability and placing you in the circumstances where a minister is needed, and then by others who are godly, who will confirm that indeed the hand of God is truly on your work and He does desire you to serve in the ministry.
The individual heads within part 3 were so varied, that I will just summarize them all, for they were all in their own way convicting to me. His first section was on the want of Devotedness in the Minister, and the most convicting part was where he asked whether we could truly say as Paul that God is our witness that we served with our whole spirit in the Gospel of His Son. The second personal error was conformity to this world. “Accurate and earnest statements, combined with sociable conformity to this world will give no offence and bring no conviction.” The fear of man was the third head. This is convicting to me, because while I think I am strong to resist the temptations of the world, I struggle greatly with fearing what other believers will think of me, and what the professing church holds to. Wants of Self-denial, want of faith, neglect of retirement (rest) covetousness, and spiritual pride were all vices that I will struggled with to varying degrees, and have already seen myself in the throes of. The absence of personal religion is a great danger that I find myself in danger of. Even at college, there were times where I neglected the diligence that I should have put into regular and personal time in the word and prayer. A holy office cannot make holy, and we must labor that simplicity, singlemindedness, and sincerity to the truth can categorically describe what we do. The minister’s family is another danger, one which I do not have yet. It very interesting the observations he pulled from the pastoral requirements regarding his family, how much of a pastor’s functionality as a hospitable and godly leader is contingent on the cooperation of his wife, and even to a certain extent, the submission of his children. His conclusion was interesting, because he admonished the Establishment (the Church of England) for having hirelings and undeserving men in their offices.
Section 4 was on preparing the sermon. He began with the general truths regarding preaching, its importance and institution as the means by which the Gospel will go forward and the church be built up, then its preparation, both the study and prayer that should go into it. The only section I have some slight disagreements with was his section on preaching the law. He attacks those who would substitute the “law of love for the law of Decalogue.” An apparent study of the NT will indicate that throughout this is exactly what both our Lord and the authors of the epistles did, however. He then covered the preaching of the Gospel, with sections on the doctrine, the application, the practical, and experiential impacts of the Gospel. His sections on the discriminatory and decided preaching of the Gospel were the most important, because so many ministers are either to reserved and their sermon die from a thousand qualifications, or else they preach the Gospel, and then quickly move to other topics. He discusses the different types of sermons—extempore, topical, and expository, all three of which the minister should be prepared to do, and the attributes and characteristics that should accompany the preacher.
Section 5 closed with the pastoral duties of the ministers to different types of people. The most insightful part was the commitment that the minister should make to stay among his people. Too many pastors seem eager to make a name for themselves, and so they run to every opportunity to speak elsewhere and forget their commitment to their local ministry. He then addresses individual cases, which again shows his great knowledge of human nature and experience with all different types of people. Overall, I think this is an excellent book which I hope to reread in the future.

[Josh Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have yet to read a more comprehensive book on the totality of Christian ministry than this book. In my opinion, if you have a college training young men for the ministry and this is not required reading, you are doing them a disservice. This book is that good. Over the past years, I have read and heard others recommend this book. Finally, I acquired the book in 2020 and decided to put it on my reading list for 2021.

There is only one problem with this book. Now that I have finished it, I need to immediately reread it again to allow its contents to sink in deeply into my heart & mind! This book is nearly 200 years old. However, the contents are as applicable to the ministry today as ever before.

I normally will include a myriad of quotes from a book when giving a review. However, there were so many sentences, paragraphs, and sections that I underlined and commented on, I wouldn't know what specific content to share.

Also, I have never seen a book so full of footnotes. And when I say footnotes, allow me to clarify - meaningful footnotes! I found myself again and again underlining content in the footnotes. It is apparent that the author culled his content from many who had gone before him. And here we are nearly 200 years later being blessed by his work.

If you are considering ministry, in ministry, or retired from ministry you should read this book. Put it on your list and read it soon. You, like me, will find yourself challenged, convicted, and encouraged by having done so.