On Pastoring: A Short Guide to Living, Leading, and Ministering as a Pastor
Digital Logos Edition
Overview
No one is ever fully prepared for the ministry. For pastors just starting out, those needing a little rebalancing, or those growing tired in the trenches, a short guide to the basics is a welcome relief.
In On Pastoring, H. B. Charles gives 30 instructive reflections on the pastor's heart, leadership, and public ministry, covering topics like:
Being a pastor means wearing many hats, weathering lots of pressure, and bearing great responsibility. Let H. B. Charles be a trusted advisor as you do the serious work of shepherding a flock of God.
This is a Logos Reader Edition. Learn more.
- Includes 30 quick chapters on the practical aspects of pastoral ministry
- Focuses on the heart of the pastor and deals with the leadership of the pastor
- Offers practical wisdom for leading the church with integrity, wisdom, and love
The Pastor’s Heart
- Ministering to an Audience of One
- A Strategic Part of Your Ministerial Call
- Are You a Healthy Pastor?
- Real Pastors Are Godly
- Leaving a Godly Legacy
- Do You Want To Be Somebody?
- Play Where the Coach Puts You!
- In Praise of Long Pastorates
- Don’t Go Without Your Convictions
- Guard the Bank!
The Pastor’s Leadership
- Interruptions or Appointments?
- When You Lose Your Cutting Edge
- Give Mark a Minute
- Make Haste Slowly
- Is It Really Worth It?
- An Essential Part of Planning Your Preaching
- eveloping a Pastor’s Library
- The Neglected Blessing of a Loving Congregation
- Staying or Leaving?
- Lessons My Father Taught Me
The Pastor’s Public Ministry
- What Can That Boy Tell Me?
- The Pastor as Worship Leader
- Why Expository Preaching?
- Making the Most of Weekly Preparation
- Spiritual Help for Public Ministry
- Praying and Teaching Behind-the-Scenes
- The Ministry of Meetings
- So How Did It Go This Sunday?
- How the Pew Can Help the Pulpit
- Lessons I’ve Learned Along the Way
Top Highlights
“Make sure your wife is your best friend, yet be careful not to dump everything on her. Your calling is not her calling, and she may not have as thick of skin for the ministry as you do. Avoid overwhelming her with behind-the-scenes details that may embitter her toward the church.” (source)
“A passion to preach without a discipline to study is a desire to perform. Faithful preaching requires diligent preparation.” (source)
“Parents leave an inheritance to their children. But children are an inheritance the Lord gives to parents. To be blessed with children is to receive a living asset from the Lord. We must invest these God-given assets wisely. Do not sacrifice your children on the altar of ministry. Give them the time, care, attention, discipline, affection, instruction, and example that they need, thus communicating clearly your unconditional love for them. Your family is a gift to cherish, not another task to accomplish. Make loving your wife and children your delight, not a duty.” (source)
“But only surrounding yourself with people you consider loyal is not Christian ministry—that’s the mafia. We are building the Lord’s kingdom, not our own. And a ministry that lasts beyond you requires that you develop young leaders to whom you can hand the baton at some point.” (source)
“The fact that you are spiritually gifted does not make you qualified to be a pastor. The biblical qualifications for pastoral leadership are character-driven, not gift-oriented (1 Tim. 3:1–7; Titus 1:5–9; 1 Peter 5:1–4). The only ministry skill Scripture requires of pastors is that he is able to teach (1 Tim. 3:2). All of the other listed qualifications focus on the kind of man he is, not how gifted he is. It should not be that people hear us preach and think we should never get out of the pulpit, but then see our lifestyles and think we should never get in the pulpit.” (source)
My friend H. B. Charles Jr. has done it again. Just like his last book, On Preaching, his new work, On Pastoring, is chock-full of pastoral insight and ministry application. I encourage every pastor to read it and, as you do, prepare to be blessed.
—Jason K. Allen, President of the Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
John Newton once remarked that "none but he who made the world can make a minister of the gospel." Only God can call a true minister, and only He can grant the minister the gifts necessary for service. Indeed, pastoral ministry is difficult work that demands spiritual maturity and doctrinal fidelity. For several decades, H. B. Charles Jr. has modeled just the type of faithful and biblically based ministry that Scripture commends. I am thankful he now allows us to benefit from his pastoral wisdom and experience in his book On Pastoring. Whether you are a young pastor or a seasoned preacher, this book is worth both your time and your careful attention.
—R. Albert Mohler Jr., President of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
In every generation, God raises up a few choice servants to provide leadership to thousands of other leaders. H. B. Charles Jr. is one of these choice servants and his newest book proves it On Pastoring equips you not only for ministry, but also for life. If you want to deepen your walk and sharpen your leadership skills, then read this book and immerse yourself in its principles.
—Ronnie Floyd, President Southern Baptist Convention, and Senior Pastor, Cross Church, Northwest AR
- Title: On Pastoring: A Short Guide to Living, Leading, and Ministering as a Pastor
- Author: Jr. H. B. Charles
- Publisher: Moody
- Print Publication Date: 2016
- Logos Release Date: 2015
- Era: era:contemporary
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Logos Reader Edition
- Subject: Pastoral theology
- ISBNs: 9780802494511, 080249451X
- Resource ID: LLS:9780802494511
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2023-07-28T18:33:16Z