I admit that in the last few months, my reading diet has been slim. I’ve been lazy. Several weeks ago I decided to get serious about my reading and recommitted myself. I’m glad that part of that recommitment led me to Dangerous Calling by Paul David Tripp.
This is a book on pastoral ministry unlike others. Tripp does not write like a rock-star pastor sharing his victories for everyone else to emulate. Instead, he writes like a recovering addict of sorts. A man who was once addicted to himself and to the control he owned as a pastor. He writes as a man who has been wrong, but through God’s grace has found a way to live into the dangerous calling that is the pastorate.
Tripp writes,
I love giving then rather proud pastor eyes to see himself with a grater biblical clarity, and I love helping the defeated pastor see himself in light of the grace of the gospel.
Of course, he loves this ministry because he was once the proud pastor and became the defeated pastor. He did not have eyes to see himself clearly and refused to listen to the wise counsel of others.
This book serves both as a diagnostic tool and a guide for healing and restoration. For example, he identifies nine signs of a pastor losing his way:
- He ignores the clear evidence of problems.
- He is blind to the issues of his own heart.
- His ministry lacks devotion.
- He doesn’t preach the gospel to himself.
- He doesn’t listen to the people closest to him.
- His ministry becomes burdensome.
- He begins to live in silence.
- He begins to question his calling.
- He gives way to fantasies of another life.
He then goes on to show that all of these symptoms point toward a theological problem, not a competency problem. For pastors, spiritual maturity can sometimes be defined differently than it is for lay people. Tripp shows that maturity is not primarily about knowledge, but about application.
Perhaps the greatest strength of this book is the reminder that the pastor is to be a part of the church, not some kind of ruler over the church. The elder has specific responsibilities within the church, but he is not ever allowed to be separate from the church. Pastors need accountability and care just as other Christians do. I cannot recommend this book highly enough for pastors and for congregants who are concerned to build up the spiritual health of their pastors.
