Pastoral theology: the onward march

The Cs and Ds having been surveyed, here we are in the Es and Fs. Previous instalments can be found here or from the sidebar under “Pastoral theology.” Comments and further recommendations are appreciated (there are a few other titles I have come across recently that I should like to get my hands on). If you could put such comments and recommendations on the full page, I will be able to keep track of them more readily. Again, enjoy and profit! I hope that you see something that you can get for yourself or for a pastor which will do the soul good and equip for the ministry.

Eby, David. Power Preaching for Church Growth: The Role of Preaching in Growing Churches. Despite a rather awkward and even misleading title, this is actually about the centrality of preaching in the church, using the book of Acts as something of a template. He is concerned for faithful, lively, productive public ministry, and there is much (including helpful quotations to encourage after each chapter) to stimulate the preacher. (Westminster / Amazon.co.uk / Amazon.com / Monergism)

Ellsworth, Wilbur. The Power of Speaking God’s Word: How to Preach Memorable Sermons. Focusing on the concept of “orality,” this is really a plea to preach man-to-man, eyeball-to-eyeball, without the potential barrier of reams of notes or pages of manuscripts to hinder communication. Again, our author has a tendency to make an absolute principle of good advice, but I think he takes us in a very healthy direction. (Westminster / Amazon.co.uk / Amazon.com / Monergism)

Eveson, Philip (ed.). The Gospel Ministry: Practical Insights and Application. A helpful treatment of present challenges to gospel ministry. There is some insightful stuff here, prompting us to think through the implications and applications of preaching in our own society and culture. The collection is worth having for the two addresses by Ted Donnelly alone. (Westminster / Amazon.co.uk / Amazon.com / Monergism)

Eyres, Lawrence R. The Elders of the Church. A high view of the office of elder permeates this slim volume. With clear language and robust reasoning, the author sets out the divine calling, ecclesiastical recognition, Scriptural qualifications, and practical equipping and appointing of pastors in the church. While his Presbyterianism informs and conditions some elements, the essential thrust can be accepted by all who acknowledge the authority of the Bible, and the distinctive forms can be laid aside where conviction dictates, and the Scripture principles behind them adapted and embraced. (Westminster / Amazon.co.uk / Amazon.com / Monergism)

Fairbairn, Patrick. Pastoral Theology: A Treatise on the Office and Duties of the Christian Pastor. With its focus on the preacher, this is another little beauty. Putting the pastorate in the context of the church, Fairbairn then considers the nature of and call to the office before considering how generally and particularly its duties are to be carried out. There are counsels for many of the primary responsibilities of life in the ministry, all from a truly pious and learned tradition. (Westminster / Amazon.co.uk / Amazon.com / Monergism)

Foxcroft, Thomas. The Gospel Ministry. This is the sermon that Foxcroft preached at his own ordination. It was so good that the men gathered to ordain him urged him to print it. It is magnificent, and all the more useful for being so brief. A great gift for a new minister, and a great reminder for any older ones. Review. (Westminster / Amazon.co.uk / Amazon.com / Monergism)