The Crucifixion of Ministry: Surrendering Our Ambitions to the Service of Christ

by Andrew Purves

Publisher:

IVP

, 2009

Overview

As a pastor, do you ever get the feeling that no matter what you try, nothing much seems to change?

That is because the ministries themselves are not redemptive--they are not up to you. Only Jesus’ ministry is redemptive. Jesus has to "show up."

Theologian Andrew Purves explores at the deepest level the true and essential nature of Christian ministry. He says that the attempt to be an effective minister is a major problem. Ministers are “in the way.” He radically claims that ministries need to be crucified. They need to be killed off so that Christ can make them live.

Rooting church service in Christ’s own continuing ministry, Purves provides a vision for students and practicing clergy to reclaim the vital connection between Christ and participation in his ministry today, even if it means letting Christ put to death the ministries to which pastors cling so closely. A radical appraisal for a critical malady affecting the life of the Christian church written in plain, down-to-earth language.

Key Features

• Exposes essential nature of Christian ministry.
• Provides a vision for students and practicing clergy.
• Helps seminarians and future ministers to avoid some of the pitfalls of ministry.

Praise for the Print Edition

Every pastor and Christian leader needs to read this book--about once a year. It is a much-needed wake-up call to remember what we all so often forget: it's Christ’s ministry, not ours, and for his ministry to manifest itself through us, we must first die to ours. Written with clarity and passion, there is much here that is theologically rich, spiritually challenging and practically relevant. The North American church today desperately needs to heed the message of Andrew Purves’s book.

--Stephen A. Seamands, professor of Christian doctrine, Asbury Theological Seminary

Andrew Purves has peeked inside our ministerial closets. He has pulled aside the façade of our pastoral garb. He exposes the fear and exhaustion so many of us feel but none admit. Then he offers us pastors the real hope found in reconnecting to the true Source of all ministry. The church would be transformed if pastors dared to read, and practice, this book.

--Gerrit Dawson, senior pastor, First Presbyterian Church of Baton Rouge

I have been in Professor Purves's classes as he lectured on this theology of pastoral ministry. I watched our seminarians move from dismay to embracing it as a surprising new vision of ministry. It was like witnessing the crucifixion and resurrection, which is his point. I have been a pastor long enough to know that without this vision of what Jesus Christ is doing in human lives, no one will last long in the ministry.

--M. Craig Barnes, pastor, Shadyside Presbyterian Church, and Meneilly Professor of Ministry, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary

Product Details

• Title: The Crucifixion of Ministry: Surrendering Our Ambitions to the Service of Christ
• Author: Andrew Purves
• Publisher: IVP
• Print Publication Date: 2009
• Logos Release Date: 2014
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Reader Edition
• Subjects: Church work; Jesus Christ Example; Pastoral theology
• ISBNs: 9780830878581, 9780830834396, 0830834397, 0830878580
• Resource ID: LLS:9780830878581
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2024-03-06T21:03:53Z

About Andrew Purves

A native of Edinburgh, Scotland, the Rev. Dr. Andrew Purves received degrees in philosophy and divinity from the University of Edinburgh, and a Th. M. degree from Duke Divinity School. Purves completed his doctorate at the University of Edinburgh. Licensed by the Church of Scotland, Purves came to the U.S. in 1978. He was ordained by the Presbytery of Philadelphia in 1979. He served as minister of the Hebron Presbyterian Church in Clinton, Pa. until 1983, when he was called to the faculty of Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. Purves is the professor of Reformed theology. Purves has a deep concern for the renewal of the church, and speaks regularly around the country on matters of theological and spiritual renewal. His forthcoming book The Resurrection of Ministry is due out this fall from InterVarsity Press. Recent publications includeThe Crucifixion of Ministry: Surrendering Our Ambitions to the Service of Christ (InterVarsity Press, 2007), Reconstructing Pastoral Theology: A Christological Foundation (WJK 2004), A Passion for the Gospel: Confessing Jesus Christ for the 21st Century (with Mark Achtemeier, Geneva 2000), Encountering God: Christian Faith in Turbulent Times (with Charles Partee, WJK 2000), Union in Christ: A Declaration for the Church (with Mark Achtemeier, Witherspoon 1999), The Search for Compassion: Spirituality and Ministry (WJK 1989), and “The Trinitarian Basis of a Christian Practical Theology” in The International Journal of Practical Theology. Purves is married to the Rev. Catherine Purves. They have three children, Brendan, Gordon, and Laura. His interests include watching soccer, mystery novels, dinner parties with friends, and sitting on the beach.