The Pastor's Book: A Comprehensive and Practical Guide to Pastoral Ministry

Douglas Sean O'Donnell (PhD, University of Aberdeen) is the senior vice president of Bible editorial at Crossway. Over the past twenty-five years he has helped train people around the world to read and teach the Bible clearly. He has pastored several churches, served as a professor, and authored or edited over twenty books, including commentaries, Bible studies, children's books, and a children's curriculum. He also wrote The Pastor's Book with R. Kent Hughes and The Beauty and Power of Biblical Exposition with Leland Ryken.

Endorsements:

"Everyday Latin phrases spring to mind to describe The Pastor's Book: It is a magnum opus-a major work for all ministers, incorporating one and a half lifetimes of gathered pastoral resources. It will be a vade mecum-the go-to book and faithful companion for younger ministers, to guide, inform, and sometimes correct and restrain. It should prove to be a sine qua non for all who are engaged in gospel ministry over the long haul-the very book needed to help re-calibrate and refresh. These pages constitute a love-gift to their fellow under-shepherds from Kent Hughes and Douglas Sean O'Donnell. They have put all who love Christ's church in their lasting debt."
--Sinclair B. Ferguson, Professor of Systematic Theology, Reformed Theological Seminary; author, The Whole Christ

"The Pastor's Book should be on the shelf of every young preacher heading out into gospel ministry. It is a resource volume-meant to guide you into good practice and provide you with language for a variety of pastoral settings. Its success comes from the authors' mutual hallmark of disciplined and careful preparation."
--David R. Helm, Senior Pastor, Christ Church Chicago; Chairman, The Charles Simeon Trust

"I wish I had had this book when I began my ministry as a pastor! It pulls back the curtain to show us what we need to know about our calling and the expectations of our people. It gives a breadth and context to pastoral responsibilities I've not seen in other similar books."
--Erwin W. Lutzer, Pastor Emeritus, The Moody Church, Chicago

"Pastors must be prepared for almost any imaginable situation. From weekly sermons and counseling to hospital visitations and funerals, the pastoral tasks vary from day to day, even from hour to hour. Kent Hughes provides the type of theologically rich handbook every minister needs on his shelf. Hughes is a sagacious guide to the many facets of pastoral ministry, and his program for ministry is deeply rooted in Scripture. I am confident that pastors will be greatly served by this book and better equipped for faithful ministry in every avenue of life."
--R. Albert Mohler Jr., President, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

"I can only imagine the benefits I would have received if I had been given this book on my ordination day. I not only look forward to having my own copy but also securing one for the young men I have the privilege of mentoring for gospel ministry. The Pastor's Book is a well-written and comprehensive compendium on pastoral ministry. Get it and use it, and may our Lord's church again be blessed by ministers called of God who give themselves to 'the ministry of prayer and the Word.'"
--Harry L. Reeder III, Senior Pastor, Briarwood Presbyterian Church, Birmingham, Alabama; author, From Embers to a Flame; The Leadership Dynamic; and 3D Leadership

"Veteran pastor and author Kent Hughes has written what will surely prove to be one of the most widely used and useful guides to pastoral ministry available to young pastors. As I read through this volume, I was struck over and over again by the practical wisdom, measured assessment, and confident admonition that could come only from one who has pastored-and pastored thoughtfully and well-for many years. The benefit this book will be for pastors and their churches is incalculable. What a gift this is."
--Bruce A. Ware, T. Rupert and Lucille Coleman Professor of Christian Theology, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary