For Ministers about to Start...or about to Give Up

Travis Collins

Description

"From Moses and the Israelites to Paul and the Corinthian Christians to all who have served the church since then, this thing called spiritual leadership has been thorny." In For Ministers about to Start ... or About to Give Up, Travis Collins lays bare the realities of church leadership while affirming the call to ministry. Stories of his many years of experience as a senior minister, a missionary, and a church consultant are laced with practical tips on treating burnout, wrestling with divisive matters, and recapturing the hope, the faith, and the joy in the call to vocational ministry.

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie
• Christianity

Informations

• Publié par: Christian Board of Publication
• Date de parution: 31 octobre 2014
• Nombre de lectures: 1
• EAN13: 9780827210967
• Langue: English

Extrait

It s always been hard to be a pastor, but that call feels more daunting than ever in this time of cultural change. Collins insights into how to balance the polarity between caring for yourself and caring for a congregation are rooted in his own deep experience. Pastors will be encouraged by his words of encouragement, because they come from his heart.
-J IM K ITCHENS , A UTHOR OF T HE P OSTMODERN P ARISH
With candor and incredible transparency, Travis has shared lessons learned from his pilgrimage in ministry over more than 25 years. Seeing each experience as a learning opportunity, he offers suggestions, exposes vulnerabilities, and encourages clergy and lay church leaders to work harder at developing healthy relationships. I encourage you to read the book and recommend it to other ministers as well as key church leaders who can make a difference.
-C HARLES C HANDLER , E XECUTIVE D IRECTOR , M INISTERING TO M INISTERS
A compelling compendium of leading a church or organization, tending to personal growth, giving high priority to soul-care, and learning personal disciplines, all through many years of experience from the author. Stop the chase of talking to people and asking the questions. All the questions and answers are found in For Ministers about to Start or about to Give Up. Reading this will give new oxygen and hope no matter the step of the journey you may be trodding.
-J O A NNE L YON , G ENERAL S UPERINTENDENT , T HE W ESLEYAN C HURCH
Travis Collins has written a fine antidote to the illness of lethargy that seems to plague modern ministry. Mixing powerful quotes, excellent biblical application, and a wonderful array of real-life stories from a career in ministry, he speaks the language ministers can hear. Travis has lived the day-to-day life of a minister with grace and skill, and he brings that wisdom to these pages. Reading these pages is like reading a working pastor s diary, and you will be blessed by the insights he has gleaned along the way.
-W ILLIAM G. W ILSON , P RESIDENT , T HE C ENTER F OR H EALTHY C HURCHES
Travis Collins latest book blends practicality with reality. It is a must-read for ministers and lay leadership to understand the complexities of one of the most demanding occupations.
-M AURICE G RAHAM , F OUNDER AND E XECUTIVE D IRECTOR , S HEPHERD S S TAFF M INISTRY
With keen encouragement and practical insights, Travis Collins offers the young (and experienced) parish minister an honest and challenging inside look into what it means to follow God s call and minister in the local church. This experienced pastor offers candid, at times confessional, descriptions of what a minister will or does encounter in ministry, adding to it a solid measure of the privilege, trust, and responsibility involved in the sacred work of shepherding. The section on pastoral leadership is by itself worth the reader s time.
-D AN B AGBY , B APTIST T HEOLOGICAL S EMINARY AT R ICHMOND
Ministry is hard. It always has been, and always will be. But most things that are worthwhile are hard. Travis Collins knows this because he s been there and back again. Along the way Travis learned how to thrive in ministry, and he wants to share his story with those who are just starting out, or just about to pack it in. If only I had such a mentor when I was just starting out, my own path might have been much smoother. Read this book, meditate on its stories and practical advice. It might just save your life in ministry.
-S TAN G RAHAM , F OUNDING P ASTOR , P ATHWAYS C HURCH , F OREST H ILL , M ARYLAND
Travis Collins has written a book that is ideal for both new and seasoned ministers. I find that I fall in both categories, having served in ministry positions for 35 years, and now having begun my first pastorate. The phrase keep watch, from Acts 20, is a recurring theme in the book and one that I will return to time and time again. As I face new experiences as a pastor, that phrase will remain in the forefront of my ministry. Thank you, Travis, for the challenging reminder.
-J ANE H ULL , P ASTOR , U NION C HRISTIAN C HURCH (D ISCIPLES OF C HRIST ), W ATKINSVILLE , G EORGIA
Travis Collins has provided pastors a gift through his honest, transparent, and authentic disclosure of the incredible joy and despair of serving congregations. He takes us on a journey through the heartbeat of a pastor. A must-read for clergy whose energy for ministry needs a booster.
-S TEVEN N. S COGGIN , P RESIDENT OF C ARENET , I NC .
Collins presents the sharp and pressing realities of the challenge of ministering in today s church and world. His seasoned perspective allows him to write with transparency, realism, and extreme passion and hope for ministers. I commend the book to you as a companion for the spiritual journey of leadership, mentoring, discipleship, and self-care. A careful reading offers deep assurance that God is with us in the tough days and the times of celebration as leadership and ministry unfolds in distinctive ways in a variety of ministry contexts.
-E DWARD H. H AMMETT , A UTHOR OF R ECOVERING H OPE FOR Y OUR C HURCH
Key Leadership Resources from www.TCPBooks.info
George W. Bullard Jr.
Every Congregation Needs a Little Conflict
FaithSoaring Churches
Pursuing the Full Kingdom Potential of Your Congregation
Richard L. Hamm
Recreating the Church
Edward H. Hammett
Recovering Hope for your Church:
Moving beyond Maintenance and Missional to Incarnational Engagement
Making Shifts without Making Waves:
A Coach Approach to Soulful Leadership
Reaching People under 40 while Keeping People over 60:
Being Church to All Generations
Spiritual Leadership in a Secular Age:
Building Bridges Instead of Barriers
Gregory L. Hunt
Leading Congregations through Crisis
Cynthia Woolever and Deborah Bruce
Leadership That Fits Your Church:
What Kind of Pastor for What Kind of Congregation
The Sustaining Pastoral Excellence Peer Learning Team
So Much Better:
How Thousands of Pastors Help Each Other Thrive
Larry McSwain
The Calling of Congregational Leadership:
Being, Knowing, Doing Ministry
For more leadership resources, see www.TheColumbiaPartnership.org www.TCPBooks.info
FOR MINISTERS about to START

Travis Collins
Copyright 2014 by Travis Collins.
All rights reserved. For permission to reuse content, please contact Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, [phone], www.copyright.com .
Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION . NIV . Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.
Bible quotations marked NRSV are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National
Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture marked NASB is taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE , Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission.
Biblical quotations marked REB are from The Revised English Bible copyright Oxford University Press and Cambridge University Press 1989. The Revised English Bible with the Apocrypha first published 1989.
Quotations marked Message are from The Message by Eugene H. Peterson, copyright 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. All rights reserved.
Cover art: ShutterStock
Cover design: Scribe, Inc.
www.TheColumbiaPartnership.org
www.TCPBooks.com
Print: 9780827210950 EPUB: 9780827210967 EPDF: 9780827210974
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Collins, Travis.
For ministers about to start or about to give up / by Travis Collins.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-8272-1095-0 (pbk. : alk. paper)
1. Pastoral theology. I. Title.
BV4011.3.C65 2014
253--dc23
2014030292
To the vocational ministers alongside whom I ve served.
Contents
Editor s Foreword
The Leadership Dance
1 What You Do Is Hard
2 There and Back
3 Keep Watch Keep watch over yourselves
4 All the Flock and all the flock
5 The Call of which the Holy Spirit has made you
6 Overseers with Authority the Holy Spirit has made you overseers;
7 Shepherds vs. Hired Hands Shepherd the Church of God
8 The Church of God the Church of God which He bought with His blood.
Notes
Bibliography
Editor s Foreword
Inspiration and Wisdom for 21st-Century Christian Leaders
You have chosen wisely in deciding to read and learn from a book published by TCP Books from The Columbia Partnership.
We publish for Congregational leaders who desire to serve with greater faithfulness, effectiveness, and innovation. Christian ministers who seek to pursue and sustain excellence in ministry service. Members of congregations who desire to reach their full kingdom potential. Christian leaders who desire to use a coach approach in their ministry. Denominational and parachurch leaders who want to come alongside affiliated congregations in a servant leadership role. Consultants and coaches who desire to increase their learning concerning the congregations and Christian leaders they serve.
TCP Books is a sharing knowledge strategy of The Columbia Partnership, a community of Christian leaders seeking to transform the capacity of the North American Church to pursue and sustain vital Christ-centered ministry.
Primarily serving congregations, denominations, educational institutions, leadership development programs, and parachurch organizations, TCP also seeks to connect with individuals, businesses, and other organizations seeking a Christ-centered spiritual focus.
We welcome your comments on these books, and we welcome your suggestions for new subject areas and authors we ought to consider.
George Bullard, Senior Editor, TCP Books The Columbia Partnership