In Jeremiah 3:15, God made us a wonderful promise: “And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.”
Every child of God who is spiritually discerning recognizes just how marvelous is this gift of God found in a spiritual, Apostolic pastor.
The Art of Pastoring
I was blessed for twenty-five years to call the man to whom this book is honored my pastor. I cannot fully express just what a treasure he was to me. He would correct as needed. He would encourage consistently. He would position me for success. He would love me unconditionally. He was there when we went through tough times. He challenged me to be better at life and ministry. He patterned for me how to do so.
Every child of God who is spiritually discerning recognizes just how marvelous is this gift of God found in a spiritual, Apostolic pastor. Click To TweetHe’s gone now, having received his eternal reward a little over three years ago. What I wouldn’t give to experience just one more time his faithfully carrying out what this book describes. I would love to watch him lead, hear him preach, glean from his counsel, see his vision as it is cast, and be once again under the safe hand of his shepherding.
I was blessed to pastor the same church after him. I know I never did it as well, but I know I did it better than I would have if not for his lessons. Many of those lessons are in this book, and I’m quite sure they will inspire and instruct you as they did me.
Excerpt from The Art of Pastoring by Scott Graham
The fact that our culture is now postmodern may be daunting, but it is also replete with opportunity. Many who have grown up viewing the world through this paradigm have discovered much to their dismay that all their seeking has not produced a knowledge of truth. They are adrift in a sea of opinions and ideas, and when storms strike they long for an anchor.
Our culture is caught between two undesirable options. First they can continue to flounder as the difficulties of life batter them, or they can make the hard choice to admit that postmodern thinking has left them with no answers. As we utilize the power of God’s Word saturated with a prayerful, wise, targeted delivery, preaching will lead them to that second option. At that point, the foolishness of preaching will bring them to the wisdom of God! What could be greater than that?
Resources and Links
The Art of Pastoring is a collection of essays that reflect on the contours of pastoring a Pentecostal church in the twenty-first century. Written to honor Tim Dugas, the contributors to the collection have spent a period of time as a member of a church he has pastored. Geared toward young or aspiring pastors, this book combines years of valuable experience with godly advice to create a tool that will greatly benefit young leaders.
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