The Resurrection of Ministry: Serving in the Hope of the Risen Lord - Softcover

Purves, Andrew

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0830837418 ISBN 13: 9780830837410

Publisher: IVP, 2010

Synopsis

Many who go into ministry with expectancy and optimism find instead discouragement and regret. Is there a hope for renewal, for a new taste of God's grace in serving his people? With Christ, Andrew Purves reminds us, we move beyond ministry in the mood of Holy Saturday to ministry in the mood of Easter Sunday. And there we find the true basis of hope in ministry. Purves, a seasoned teacher of practical theology, offers a profound look at the nature of spiritual service that gets beyond superficial critiques and simplistic techniques. He points to true, deep joy and hope as we share in Christ's continuing ministry.

About this title

About the Author:

Andrew Purves (PhD, University of Edinburgh) is Jean and Nancy Davis Professor of Historical Theology at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary in Pennsylvania. He is the author of numerous books including Reconstructing Pastoral Theology: A Christological Foundation, The Crucifixion of Ministry and The Resurrection of Ministry. He is an ordained Presbyterian minister and has three grown children with his wife Catherine, who is minister of the Bellevue United Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh.

Review:

"Purves' practical theology may be a helpful tool for invigorating ministry practices to actually proclaim the living Christ rather than consistently sit in expectation of resurrection." (Eric Mathis, Worship Leader Magazine)

"As a pastor who knows the experience of attempting ministry 'in the mood of Holy Saturday,' I am grateful to Andrew Purves for naming this reality and directing my attention to the road out of it. I am always appreciative of theologians who journey from academia to the church in order to help pastors understand the relevance of what is being discussed there. Dr. Purves has written a truly practical theology that both gives me a theological foundation for ministry and invites me to pray. For him theology is not merely an explanation of past events but a discipline that teaches us to live into an ongoing expectation of life and hope in the resurrected Jesus." (David A. Rohrer, pastor of worship, University Presbyterian Church, Seattle)

"Are you sick of ministry? Tired of your people? Worn, torn, faking it on Sundays and cynical on Mondays? Here is hope. No, more than hope: here is the truth that ripples with energy, power and joy. The resurrected Jesus can revive his ministers, and Andrew Purves is a lyrical, sure guide to bring us to this Jesus. Drink in this book and discover how the living Jesus fills your ministry with his ministry. You'll be renewed!" (Gerrit Dawson, lead pastor, First Presbyterian Church of Baton Rouge, and author of Jesus Ascended)

"This is not just another book on the resurrection. It is an invitation to experience the work of a resurrected Jesus. And who isn't ready for that?" (Craig Barnes, Meneilley Professor of Pastoral Ministry, Pittsburgh Seminary)

"Here is a book, clearly and passionately written, that will help us Christian ministers understand, proclaim and teach the meaning and significance of Christ's resurrection as never before. But most important, here is an invitation to build our ministries on their sure foundation: the resurrected ministry of Jesus himself. What a difference that makes! Joining our risen Lord and participating in his ongoing ministry will infuse us with Easter joy and hope." (Stephen A. Seamands, professor of Christian doctrine, Asbury Theological Seminary)

"Andrew Purves, who has become a trusted mentor to many of us in Christian ministry, wants to save us from the deepest of all clergy malpractices--the failure to be fully engaged in the resurrected ministry of Jesus. Exercising all the gifts for which we have come to appreciate him, this pastoral theologian par excellence helps us understand--and feel--that it is all about Jesus. Really. Simple as that, mysterious as that. Purves relentlessly takes us back to square one: Jesus is alive. Really alive. And as risen and ascended Lord at work in the world, doing what only he can do. And he is inviting us, after the crucifixion of our ministries, into the joyful, hopeful resurrection of his ministry. Thank you, Andrew, for showing us the way." (Darrell W. Johnson, preaching pastor, First Baptist Church, Vancouver)

About this edition

• Publisher: IVP
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 0830837418
• ISBN 13: 9780830837410
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 158