ABCs of Ministry
Where do you start when you feel the call to God's ministry? What should you expect and what do you need to do to prepare yourself? Perhaps the best place to start is to speak with someone who has been in the ministry for several years and can provide good fatherly advice about what lies in store for those travelling this career path. That's where the book ABCs of Ministry comes in handy.
Written by a pastor with 43 years of experience, this book gives a general overview of what anyone should know when considering a career in ministry. For most people they will get the detailed education they need from a seminary or other school with a program for divinity studies. This book tries to fill the gap between technical knowledge and practical advice. While it is a small book it contains good advice on selecting the appropriate higher education for yourself, things to consider when creating or giving a sermon, knowing what lies ahead for a person who enters the ministry, etc. None of this is done in great detail and that is appropriate for this type of book, after all there are books and books written on how to develop a sermon, how to budget and negotiate a compensation package, etc. Instead this is more like a father-son talk between a caring pastor and someone who has just told him they want to enter the ministry.
The addendum provides specific examples of wedding and funeral ceremonies (one each) and considerations when starting a church. The book is not without its problems though. Perhaps the most annoying is not the content but simple mechanics. The book is divided into maker sections of Choosing it, Learning it, Doing it, and After it. Each section has a few chapters but they are numbered only... not chapter names. If you stop reading in a section with the intent to return you have to remember the chapter number you are on and not a chapter name. This is very awkward. Likewise with all the variations and different cultural and other factors to be considered when doing a wedding or funeral a couple more examples would be nice. Then again, most denominations have a book of example marriage, funeral, and other ceremonies available so it is not like this information is not available.
When all things are considered the ABCs of Ministry is a recommended text that should be a first step for the person who has announced a calling to the ministry.
Title: ABCs of Ministr
Author: David E. Holt
Publisher: Strategic Book Publishing
845 Third Avenue, 6th Floor - #6016
New York, NY 10022
Copyright: 2008
ISBN: 9781606930878
Pages: 155 plus addendum
Price: $14.95