Reforming Pastoral Ministry is a collection of essays written by (mostly) Reformed baptist pastors with the goal of encouraging younger pastors toward Scriptural reformation and revival. The book is supposed to be a modern rendition of Richard Baxter’s classic work, The Reformed Pastor. As a third year Presbyterian seminarian looking to enter the pastoral ministry, I thought the essays by Beeke, Marcellino, and Elliff were the most penetrating and helpful.
While it is always beneficial to learn from the wisdom of experienced pastors, overall, the book has a Baptistic, Puritan feel. The lack of a robust covenantal hermeneutic is evident throughout. Thus, at times throughout the book I was left wondering whether the authors had failed to consider the implications of Christ’s active obedience. (I have in mind here Kline’s covenantal critique of Fuller’s Unity of the Bible.)
The subtitle, “Challenges for Ministry in Postmodern Time,” is a little misleading; for, the book does not discuss postmodernity (i.e. tribalism, pluralism, etc.) as much as modernity (i.e. consumerism, pragmatism, industrialization, personal-public dichotemy). If the book is about postmodernity, then some of the essays are slightly outdated, quoting sources and dealing with issues from the ’70s, ’80s, and 90s (see Newton’s essays on church growth); this is not to say the essays are unhelpful, but would be perhaps more accurately labeled modern instead of postmodern.
Overall, I think there are better books worth reading on pastoral ministry. Instead of spending your time and money on this modern book, perhaps pursuing Baxter’s classic is a more rewarding investment.
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