Here is my Amazon.com review of:
Willimon is a hero to me. I would love to do the writing, teaching and leading that he has done in his life. I appreciated his wise reflections in this book.
Comprehensive, insightful but verbose, November 13, 2008
By
Andrew D. Rowell
(Durham, NC) – See all my reviews
Reading this book is like having a very long conversation with one of the premier pastor of pastors in the United States. Will Willimon has a Ph.D. in theology, was the Dean of the Chapel at Duke University for many years, and is now a Bishop in the United Methodist Church. He has written many books and has written regularly for both Christian Century and Christianity Today’s Leadership Journal. He is worth listening to.
Seminary students might want to read the book cover to cover to get 336 pages of reflection and insight into pastoral ministry. They will invariably gain a greater grasp of the types of dilemmas pastors face and some ways of reflecting on those issues. Others will want to have this book on their shelf–to consult when the issue of ordination, pastoral care, and preaching comes up; they can then turn to the relevant chapter and enrich the discussion. While reflecting on contemporary issues in the church, Willimon does significant exegetical work in the New Testament as well as drawing upon Augustine, Luther, Calvin and Wesley.
As both Christopher S. Royer and S. A. Garno note in their reviews: the book is comprehensive in its reflections but is a bit difficult to read because it is so verbose and convoluted. Still, there are insights on every page–each person who reads it will grow in their understanding of pastoring.
Your Tags: pastoring, pastoral theology, ordained ministry, clergy, pastor, church leadership
Related resources:
A Peculiar Prophet–A Dialogue with Bishop Will Willimon of the North Alabama Conference of the United Methodist Church
Bishop Willimon’s Podcast iTunes link–will only work if you have iTunes (which is free program that works on PC’s and Macs) installed on your computer