Letters to a young shepherd [Paperback]
By Calvin Miller
David C. Cook Publications
ISBN-13: 978-0781405775
$14.99, 256 pages (including front and back)
Those who aspire to professional ministry have the same dreams as people entering various careers. After sufficient academic preparation, each young minister has an idealistic view of the world and enters his first parish hoping to translate biblical realities to an eager congregation. However, the idealism fades rather quickly when this same minister realizes that ministry can be hard work. Parishioners complain frequently, there never seems to be enough time, and there is always one more meeting to attend. For some, the path of least resistance is to leave ministry and seek their “calling” elsewhere.
Most vocations don’t live up to the hype placed on them: there’s always the difficult co-worker, the unrelenting boss, or the manic workload that drains vitality. In desperate times, it’s as refreshing as a glass of cold water on a dry summer’s day to know that someone, anyone, understands the struggles you face.
Calvin Miller, a seminary professor and prolific writer, understands the weaknesses of ministry. Choosing to share twenty-five years of experience in a very personal way, Miller has written a collection of letters to a young minister that he has placed into one of five categories:
- Letters on locating your life
- Developing a Grand Worldview on a Shrinking Planet
- Never cast a vision on an empty sanctuary
- Sermons: excellent introductions and conclusions kept as close as possible
- Come to my Heart, Lord Jesus… please
On those days when the young pastor feels ready to give it all up, he can turn to Miller’s letter: Never give up until Tuesday and receive motivation to continue at least for the rest of the weekend.
In an attempt to undermine the implicit acceptance of interpretive plurality that exists in the emerging movement, Miller reminds pastors that the clarion call of ministry is clearly spelled out in Jude 3. In this passage, the author tells his readers : “Dear friends, although I have been desirous of writing to you about our common salvation, I now feel compelled to write to encourage you to contend earnestly for the faith that was entrusted once for all to the saints.” (NET Bible) The faith that was entrusted to the saints slaps the modern emphasis on an emerging theology and reminds all of the primacy of Scripture over the work of the minister.In those moments when the work of the ministry or modernist tendencies invade this reality, pastors must remember: “Biblical exposition is the work of the kingdom.”
As I read through this collection of letters, I was struck by Miller’s transparency in writing about personal struggles in ministry. His writing is harshly earthy and underscored by mental acuity and sardonic sarcasm. In many places, I laughed out loud at the illustration he was doing, but in each case, the truth behind the jokes was spot on.
As a master teacher, Miller incorporates practical recommendations for those in ministry: including how to avoid impropriety with the opposite sex; stay connected with the arts; and what to do when you can’t seem to find Christ on any given day.
After a few decades of professional ministry, Miller noted that the vocation has changed quite a bit. However, in the ecclesiastical quest two things have always remained constant: God is loveY people are broken. Anyone who has accepted the call to minister soon realizes that the latter makes you quickly forget the former.
In the midst of difficult times, Letters to a young shepherdprovides information and motivation to get ahead.
Reviewed by Steven King, MBA, MEd