Peterson, who has been gaining a growing reputation as a "pastor's pastor", speaks words of wisdom and refreshment for pastors caught in the busy-ness of preaching, teaching, and "running the church". Chapters include poetic reflections on the Beatitudes, advice on spiritual direction "between Sundays", and the language of prayer. In the busyness of preaching, teaching, and overseeing church ministries, it's easy to let the urgent displace the important. The immediate overwhelms the eternal.
And pastors find themselves 'running the church' but not 'curing souls. The Contemplative Counselor. The purpose of this book is two-fold. Get BOOK. The Contemplative Pastor. Author : Eugene H. Peterson Publisher : Wm. The Contemplative Pastor Book Description:. In the busyness of preaching, teaching, and overseeing church ministries, it's easy to let the urgent displace the important. The immediate overwhelms the eternal. More filters.
Sort order. Oct 18, Jason Kanz rated it it was amazing Shelves: There are few writers I enjoy more than Eugene Peterson. His love for God, for people, and for language routinely meet on the pages of his books.
His work should be tasted and savored, but I find it difficult not to binge on his writings. The Contemplative Pastor is broken into three sections. In the first, "Redefinitions," Peterson explored three descriptors for a pastor: unbusy, subversive, and apocalyptic. I was recently moved by his description of the "unbusy pastor" in his later memoir The Pastor and had some familiarity with the idea of the apocalyptic pastor.
Briefly, in Peterson's thoughts, pastors should be characterized by settledness, margin, and patience, working without frenzy in the day to day life of the church and of the world. The second section--the longest--is called "Between Sundays". Peterson meaningfully argues that much, if not most, of the work of the pastor takes place from Monday to Saturday.
The nine chapters here are built around the beatitudes with an eye toward soul care. Each chapter begins with a poem and then moves into the realities of spiritual direction, exploring themes such as creation, prayer, language, small talk, and suffering.
The final, albeit too brief, final section contains a number of poems about the incarnation. Peterson asked, "is it not significant that the biblical prophets and psalmists were all poets?
Words matter. Words convey truth, but they also convey beauty. Like his previous works The Contemplative Pastor by Peterson is a joy to read, whether or not you are a pastor. Dec 12, Stephen Bedard rated it it was amazing.
I loved this book, especially his distinction between running a church and the cure of souls. This is a great read for any pastor, especially with all of the temptation to run churches like a business. View 1 comment. Aug 07, Heath rated it it was amazing Shelves: , to-re-read , theology , spiritual-formation. This book is the foundation on which I will base my philosophy of ministry.
In many ways, Peterson develops and clarifies themes that I have already intuitively been drawn to. He gives language to the stirrings in my soul. I plan on returning to this year after year to learn from the wisdom it contains. Nov 08, Ko Matsuo rated it really liked it. Eugene Peterson's writing is so interesting. Sometimes he reads like an old man who is rambling. Nice words, but nothing to get excited about. However, sometimes he provides insight that is so piercing, so powerful, so penetrating, that you feel that either heaven itself has opened up or our souls themselves have been carefully sliced open and exposed.
He is brutally honest, introspective, and articulate. This is a short book and even with its ups and downs, is very accessible. Mar 01, Rick Dobrowolski rated it really liked it. Eugene Peterson was a solo pastor of a small church for over 2 decades.
So that makes him someone who I admire. Faithful plodders are my kind of pastors. Give me someone who sticks to it no matter how hard it gets over someone who hits the ministry scene with a splash only to shrivel because of their lack of faithfulness to God.
I find a lot of helpfulness in this pastor's wisdom. Did I like everything? Nah, but who has ever found someone that they completely agree with? This book made me think Eugene Peterson was a solo pastor of a small church for over 2 decades. This book made me think and ponder, and that makes it valuable to me and any other pastor in this world. The value of this book is in how Peterson distills the pastoral ministry to its most potent essentials.
So, if you as a pastor wants a book that makes you think, helps you simplify, and blesses your SOUL, give this book a read. Dec 16, J. Convicting and quietly encouraging. Vintage Peterson. The cure of souls rather than the job of running a church… What it looks like to contextualize the gospel to the particular forms of spiritual adolescence we've settled into here in the West… How praying and teaching people to pray is the pastor's primary work, despite what the latest flurry of business-minded ministry books might claim… The middle voice that is the language of prayer—neither controlling nor passive, but responding ac Excellent.
The cure of souls rather than the job of running a church… What it looks like to contextualize the gospel to the particular forms of spiritual adolescence we've settled into here in the West… How praying and teaching people to pray is the pastor's primary work, despite what the latest flurry of business-minded ministry books might claim… The middle voice that is the language of prayer—neither controlling nor passive, but responding actively to God's always-prior action… Oct 02, Jim rated it really liked it Shelves: theology , ministry.
A four-star Peterson book is still better than the best books by almost anyone else. In many of Peterson's books, he uses poetry to help explain a point. I have always enjoyed this, and it has made me gain an appreciation for it. In this book he writes his own, but it's not quite as good. But there is a lot of stuff here I enjoyed, especially on our role in the world "the harpooner".
Nov 24, Fred rated it really liked it Shelves: eugene-peterson. This book on the pastoral vocation predates Peterson's theological series or his autobiography and covers some of the same material.
There are also similarities to his "Working the Angles. In this book he focuses on language and on the difference between how the world sees the Pastor's job versus our responsibility it to God.
He ends with a chapter on his Sabbatical and an appreciation of poetry. Dec 31, Rob Steinbach rated it it was amazing. Eugene Peterson is one of a handful of writers whose works consistently connects with my soul. The way that happens for me is through disorientation.
Peterson helps me see something familiar as new, strange, or as mystery once again. He has become a pastoral mentor and spoken to my heart as a pastor more than anyone else. I highly recommend this work especially to pastors and vocational church workers. Feb 21, Alex Lomangino rated it liked it. I enjoyed it way more than I thought I would. Peterson offers a lot of wisdom and insight as a seasoned pastor. All of section 1 and the chapter on the "Cure of Souls" is worth the price of the book.
The rest has helpful insight for ministry but I find Peterson's writing style to be maddening at times. It's a personal issue but I think he belabor his illustrations at times. Jun 17, Hiram Kemp rated it really liked it. Apr 24, JD Tyler rated it it was amazing. This book is classic Peterson. Richly pastoral, insightful, and poetic, a must read for anyone in a pastoral role or aspiring to be in one.
Feb 05, Paul Walker rated it it was amazing. Eugene Peterson is gift to the body of Christ! I have personally always enjoyed the work of Peterson. He holds a special place within my devotional and spiritual life. His translation of the bible, titled The Message, has brought scripture alive for me.
His collections of commentaries, books, and articles are no different in their effectiveness. In his book The Contemplative Pastor, Peterson speaks as a clear prophetic voice to the leaders of the church today. He speaks from a wealth of personal Eugene Peterson is gift to the body of Christ! He speaks from a wealth of personal experience and theological depth.
It is the ethos of the Pastor. In other words; if you do not plan your life others will do it for you. Why is there a separation between the sacred and secular? I think of church leaders in the past, such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. What has changed? Personally I would say that our post-modern relativistic cultural mindset has taught us that truth is not universal, and this results in lack of acceptance to the gospel.
Peterson would agree that we need to challenge our cultural norms. He would, however caution us against a direct assault on the ethos of our communities. Hitting sin on head on is like hitting a nail with a hammer, it only drives it in deeper.
Jesus taught with parables, as creative illustrations rather than direct assault. He was able to paint a picture through narrative. These narrative pictures challenged told thousands words that cut through the distortion of the accepted norms.
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