The Book's Purpose

• Encourage pastors who are disillusioned by the church
• Motivate church leaders to focus on the quality of ministry rather than the quantity of church members
• Challenge pastors to offer every individual church member the personal pastoral attention he or she deserves
• Call pastors to a higher level of purity, discipline, and overall dedication in church leadership
• Teach ministers to disciple their congregations effectively Promote unity in the Body of Christ

The Book's Message

Richard Baxter, a respected pastor who lived in the Puritan age of the 1600s, wrote this classic to communicate his conviction that revival was desperately needed in the churches of England. He believed it could start if the pastors would repent for neglecting their congregations and would become the caring shepherds God intended them to be.

Baxter believed that English pulpits were too often being used for flowery speech to tickle the listeners’ ears or even to boost the self-esteem of the pastors themselves. Convinced that solid biblical teaching was lacking, he launched a movement

The Character of a Pastor

“A wrong motive that aims at a wrong goal may well spoil the whole ministry, however good it may be in itself.”

A pastor must understand the art of self-denial. It is mandatory for an effective ministry, one that pleases God, one that is not self-seeking~one that seeks the glory of God and the salvation of His people.

First, the pastor’s motives must be pure. Second, the pastor must be diligent and willing to put forth all the hard work that will be required.

Third, the minister must be wise and efficient, working in an orderly, systematic way. He must always offer milk before meat, because some may still need to be brought to a saving knowledge of Christ before any more spiritual growth can happen. “People must be brought into a state of grace before we can expect them to do the works of grace.”

Fourth, the pastor must be certain and unswerving in teaching the basic doctrines, not bending in teaching the unquestionable truths of Scripture, however unpleasant they may be sometimes to the unbeliever. He must prioritize by sticking to “those central truths, and ... avoid frivolous details, needless décor, and unprofitable controversy.”

Fifth, he must make it his duty and responsibility to be heard and understood, not speaking above the comprehension level of the audience, but speaking in a tone and a manner that appeal to their specific needs. Sixth, the pastor must remain dependent on God, realizing his human insufficiency in the light of His divine sufficiency. He must pray for his people, “For he who does not pray for his people will not preach powerfully to his people.”

Seventh, the pastor must understand and exemplify humility. As he ministers to his flock, he must be openhearted and willing to learn whatever God wants to teach him through them. He must be careful to avoid haughtiness, as though his level of education makes him greater in God’s eyes than a simple farmer, for instance, for we know that God loves all of His children equally.

Eighth, the pastor must learn the balance between severity and gentleness when dealing with disciplinary situations. If he errs on the side of severity, the congregation will fail to see a loving heart, and if he errs on the side of gentleness without “speaking the truth in love,” he will lose the respect of the people, as a child does for a parent who doesn’t discipline him.

Ninth, the pastor must preach with a loving, zealous spirit! “Let us then, with much affectionate desire for our hearers, sharpen our words in such a way that we pierce even their stony hearts. For to speak coldly and slightly of heavenly things is much worse than to say nothing to them.”

Tenth, there must be utmost reverence for God. “The more reverent the preacher, the more he will speak as though he were looking into the face of God.”

Eleventh, the pastor must show his members at all costs that he loves and cares about them.

Twelfth and finally, the pastor must learn and nurture patience in his life. He needs to bear the hurts of those who do not want to accept the truth. After the pastor has given all he can in loving them, visiting them, and doing good for them, people may still look upon him with contempt for the God who he proclaims. But that is no reason to give up; rather, it is a reason that “we must still persist in instructing those who oppose their own best interests.”

In the same way a surgeon who has taken the Hippocratic Oath must not ignore a patient who is bleeding to death but doesn’t want help, the pastor must not ignore the soul that refuses the truth, denying the fact that the person is headed for eternal damnation. Instead, he should continue praying for this person’s repentance and transformation.

Evaluating Our Lives and Developing the Heart of a Pastor

“Is it possible also that many a preacher is now in hell who has called upon his hearers a hundred times to use their utmost care and diligence to escape its dark destiny?”

The truth is that it is possible for such a thing to happen, for a man preaching against the darkness and detriment of such a horrible eternal hell to end up there himself for lack of evaluating his own heart and life while on this earth. Therefore, we must not neglect ourselves, because we have a great responsibility in the kingdom of God to guide the lost and searching into the heavenly realms.

We should take heed to ourselves, then, by examining our lives to find those areas in which we have allowed sin to creep in. And then we must allow God to rid us of that sin at all costs! For it is easy to stand on the seat of supreme judgment over a congregation for their sins and preach against such sins, but “it is easier to judge sin than to overcome it” ourselves.

Also, we must be aware of the magnitude of the task to which we have been called, and then study and pray to gain the knowledge and empowerment that is mandatory for such a high calling. Not only must we study well and extensively to understand as much as we can of the mysteries of God, but we must be able to relate and communicate to our congregations in ways that they will best understand.

Sermons, however, mean little if anything to a congregation when they issue out of the mouth of a hypocritical pastor. If our lives do not follow our sermons in the most exact way, which God makes possible through His grace and sanctification, members will be quick to notice our faults. We will be under a constant scrutiny; but instead of resenting such watchful eyes, we should thank the church members for calling us to the highest standards possible in the way we live our lives to the glory of our heavenly Father.

Be aware, then, of the depraved nature into which we were all born. A calling from God does not excuse us from this innate depravity that we must be redeemed from. Realize that people are watching with more critical eyes, ready to judge the first misstep we make, and realize that Satan will attack pastors more heartily and with more vengeance than other men. For assaulting Satan in the spiritual battle that wars against our souls, we will be assaulted and retaliated against all the more!

Also, take into account that we as pastors have more knowledge of the things of God than most other men do. This means we are held to a greater level of accountability in the eyes of God to handle that knowledge with the utmost care and sensitivity. “The nearer men stand before God, the greater dishonor has He by our defaults.”

Therefore, our office calls for the highest level of humility. It calls for repentance for our previous neglect of our congregations. “God must first humble us,” after all, “if He would use us.”

We also must recognize and confess the sins of the church as a whole. From my perspective, there are four main sins that now threaten the church:

1. Pride Pride, sometimes, is the core reason behind the topics on which we choose to preach. Our own popularity and status is more a concern than the salvation of our audience, and this must not be! If suddenly we find ourselves looking to the right and left, asking what men think of us instead of what God thinks of us, we have hit a dangerous point indeed! To be “a proud preacher of humility is, to say the least,” to be “a selfcondemning man.”

2. Undervaluing the unity and peace of the whole church Many of us are guilty of failing to look beyond the realms of our individual denominations. In this, we lack perspective and fail to see through God’s eyes how we can best serve one another and promote unity. Instead, we cause divisive rifts between denominations as well as individual people as we focus on the issues that are not fundamental to the saving grace of Jesus Christ.

3. Lack of commitment to the work of God It is the unfortunate case amongst us, my brethren, that there is not enough zeal in our sermons, stemming from a lack of passion for what we do and who we do it for. We are serving God and not men, performing tasks and doing work that God has ordained as highly significant for ushering His children into His kingdom. Therefore, we must not shrink back in fear or complacency, but realize it is only through Christ we gain the strength to perform such great tasks.

It is He in us who does the work, by no skill or talent of our own. So to be good stewards of what He has entrusted to us, we must not be negligent in our study of Scripture, in praying for our congregations, in visiting them, in teaching them with all the zeal inside of us! That passion will show itself in the most sincere way when we realize the magnitude and reality of heaven and hell and allow God to work through that realization.

So do not take this sacred work lightly! “We ought to study how to convince, and how to get inside people, and how to learn to bring the truth to the quick~not to leave it in the air. Experience tells us that we cannot be learned or wise without hard study, unwearied labors, and experience.”

Also, keep a keen eye on the congregations surrounding you that may be lacking in the number of leaders and lend a hand whenever you can.

4. Lack of church discipline Every pastor must count the cost before entering headlong into ministry, because if he does not, he will be surprised and disappointed to learn of the suffering that may occur. Hearers of your messages may hate you for your straightforward approach to proclaiming the gospel, but you should not apologize for speaking the truth if you do it in love.

For Christ “foretold that the world would hate us.” He came to bring a heavenly peace not an earthly peace. And you may have to discipline people to the point of excommunication, as a last resort when all other attempts at correction have failed. But you must not shrink from this duty for fear of unpopularity or unwanted scrutiny. It would be wrong to do so, to neglect this last resort which may be just what that person needs to come to salvation.

The concept of discipline, then, ought to be part of the work of the church, because only then can discipline be implemented by proper principles. But the world will measure, and thus implement, discipline in a different way. Many times, people mistakenly want “discipline to be established and imposed by the secular power and not the church. But if we are Christ’s ambassadors, sent to speak in His name, how can we do it in another prince’s name?”

See, then, that we must first take heed to ourselves and make sure our hearts are fully devoted to the Lord. If this is the case, our lives will surely show it. Then we must take heed regarding the lives of the members of our congregations and must be willing to administer church discipline when necessary.

Shepherding the Flock

There must always be enough pastors to look after the whole congregation through ministry to individuals. If your church is too large for such a personal kind of ministry, there are not enough leaders.

As pastors we must first be convicted of our reason for being, to glorify God in everything. From that vantage point, we must serve Christ wholeheartedly and realize the weight of our calling. Through God’s strength and wisdom, we must then focus on the sanctification of those we shepherd. At all costs, we should pursue the heart of God as He pursues ours and as He longs for the full submission of His people. This means delighting in the worship of the saints, hating sin, upholding purity and the fruit of the Spirit, and seeking peace between members and denominations by loathing divisiveness.

As far as the character behind ministry, it ought not be secular but sacred. We are dealing with matters of eternal value, and thus of utmost importance. It is not to be confused or combined with the temporary matters and business of this earth. It is, rather, to be focused on the things above as we warn men, women, and children of the danger and reality of hell and discuss with them the blessed joys of heaven!

We must look first to the whole community of the church and then to the individuals themselves who make up the church. In leading them, we must know them~their temperaments, their struggles, their doubts, their families. First, we should focus on the conversion of the unsaved, because many claim a salvation they do not actually possess. The goal is not to sit in judgment about whether they are or are not born again, but to personally make extra effort to minister to those who leave us wondering by their lifestyles.

Second, we should minister to those who already know Christ as Savior. But among these, there are the spiritually weak and those easily swayed by falsehood. There are the morally deficient, addicted to particular sins, which we must discern and steer them away from. There are those who have fallen away and need to be encouraged and pushed toward their first love. Sometimes, it may be due to a pitfall of a certain sin and other times due to a poisoning complacency that steals their joy and zeal for God.

Also, there are those in need of comfort.

And, finally, there are the dedicated, strong pursuers of Christ. This last group, though seemingly not as urgent in the list of priorities for a minister of the gospel, is still in need of encouragement and preservation. They must know that we care, that we are praying for their individual needs, and that we need their help in ministering to those weaker than they.

What are the different works and tasks performed, then, by a pastor? To publicly preach the Word of God. To lead believers in the partaking of the Lord’s Supper. To carry out baptisms through Christ’s divine ordination. To lead in public prayer and praise in order to magnify God. To care for every sheep of the pastor’s flock personally and to encourage the heads of each family to take responsibility for the spiritual climate of their homes and for the growth of their loved ones. To visit and pray for the sick. Pastors do all of this, and they discipline the unrepentant as well.

The last work named in the series above~discipline of the unrepentant~ must be done carefully, with humility and wisdom from above. However, it should never be avoided because it is difficult or it may cause us some amount of personal suffering. Though we must not be too severe in correcting an unrepentant soul for his sin, we must not be too lenient either and, in that way, make light of sin. We should make it clear that sin is nothing to take lightly and should follow the steps laid out in Scripture to administer discipline in the proper way.

Do not, though, mistake discipline for legalism. Many look down upon church discipline because they fail to understand how God designed it to work. It is not about a list of rules and regulations for which many criticize the Puritans, but instead, it is a road to freedom in Christ for the impenitent. It is tough love, with the purpose of bringing healing and restoration to those who need it to see their error.

Right Versus Wrong Motives in Tending the Flock

Being overseers of those God has placed under our care is our first proper motive for what we do. The office we maintain is the reason for what we do~to oversee the flock~and, in this calling, we should be honored and blessed. After all, it is not everyone who “can keep a continual Sabbath. Whether we be alone or with others, our business is about the other world.”

Second, it is the Holy Spirit who calls us and because of this, we ought to form no argument, for to do so would be dangerous. So motivations for pastoral leadership come from the office we hold, the cause of Christ, and also the church itself. Third, then, is the church flock which we must feed and nurture, love and guide. Fourth, our motive should be the blood of Christ~the high price He paid for the redemption of His church.

Out of a sincere heart intimately acquainted with God must flow the work of the ministry. God must not just be known and studied, but experienced, before we are able to preach with the proper motivation. We must realize that God wants us to see through His eternal perspective, not “read[ing] divinity like philosophers~as if it were a thing of no more moment than a lesson in music, or arithmetic, and not the doctrine of everlasting life!”

In order, then, to make sure your motives for ministry are pleasing to God, take care to always preach your sermons to yourself before proclaiming them to your congregation. Let God work in your heart in the secret places, and take time to meditate on the change He wants to bring about in your own walk before you preach to your congregations about their walk.

Also, search your heart to gauge your level of expectancy that God will do great things. How much are you depending on God to bring success to your ministry? Do you believe He is more than able to transform lives and save dying souls? Because, “I have observed that God seldom blesses any man’s work if his heart is not set upon success.”

To be successful, then, remember that many may come against you with harsh words, arrogance, and stubbornness. But never think this makes it permissible to use their weapons against them in an effort to protect yourself. God alone is your defender.

Also, in striving to maintain the right motivations, be aware of the need for fellowship with other ministers. This is vital to sharpen one anothers’ gifts and encourage one anothers’ walk with God.

And do not be afraid of discipline, for to neglect discipline in the church is a disgrace to God. It will mislead people in thinking they are Christians when, in fact, they are not. They treat sin with such indifference, as they do the Word of God, that for us as pastors to tolerate such behavior is to dishonor the cross of Christ!

Thus, the ministry should be accepted with zeal for its benefits, its challenges, and its necessity. We will have the opportunity of seeing the conversion of souls as we do personal ministry on a systematic basis. We will see those already firm in their faith become more grounded still. As we become more aware of personal needs in our congregations, our public preaching can be better understood. Members will be more confident to share with us their doubts and temptations so that we can help steer them in the most godly direction. Then we will be better able to pray for them. Our prayers can be specific, and we can also hold them accountable to resisting temptation.

There are still several more benefits to being a pastor~showing the flock you tend to, for instance, what the real meaning of the pastoral office is. Ministering is not just about preaching, baptizing, administering the Lord’s Supper, and visiting the sick. It is far more~ a building of true, edifying relationships between members of the Body of Christ. As people come to understand their pastor’s role better, they should begin to see themselves as students under his careful teaching, eager to learn more about the riches they have through salvation.

Personal ministry is beneficial for the next generation as well, “to train them up in the way they should go.” In working with individuals now to correct false thinking and prioritize values, to repent of past mistakes, their children and their children’s children will reap the benefits of these biblical corrections in the future. It will also create a heightened level of respect for the Sabbath, when the heads of each household should take more responsibility in keeping the Lord’s Day holy.

Also, by having proper motivations and ministering personally to people, we will pay closer attention to the allotment of time. There will be less time to perform duties, and thus there will be a dire need to structure our lives with discipline to avoid any idleness. We will not waste time involved in petty disagreements. As we take on these duties with proper motives, we will find ourselves becoming more like Christ and more heavenly minded. And this kind of personal ministry, if we maintain it, could very well bring about revival on a national scale.

The difficulties of the ministry, then, are far fewer than the benefits. But one widely felt temptation is the one to please men rather than God. “We would rather they go quietly to hell than to upset them. We are ready to venture on the displeasure of God rather than to bring forth the ill will of men.”

Another unfortunate difficulty many pastors struggle with is “foolish bashfulness.” We are more ashamed of our God sometimes than we are of our own sin! Then there is the issue of our worldly pleasures and interests that can create impediments in serving God’s kingdom. But the greatest obstruction is purely our lack of faith! How can our congregations be built up into greater levels of faith when our own is so weak? This is why we must take such heed to the condition of our own hearts and ministries.

In ourselves, we are unfit for ministry. But the good news remains that God is always fit for His own ministry in which He merely employs us as vessels.

There is a necessity for pastoral ministry. Private studying, speaking as directly and clearly as we can, and personally getting to know each member of our congregations will make huge strides toward the magnificent work God wants to accomplish in this nation.

Practical Words of Wisdom for Pastoral Leadership

“It has been the whole vision of this book ... to teach the catechism~or basic tenets of the faith~to every family within the parish.” Alert your members to the fact that you will be in their homes providing foundational instruction and giving them books to help them along in their walks with God. Let them know, also, that you do this, not because you merely feel like imposing authority over them, but because you have been called to do it. You have been called to lead them into God-mandated morality and guide them into a greater understanding of the blessing of their salvation. Whether they respect this authority you have been given or not, love them and be patient with them, because love is long-suffering.

Once you start the process of ministering to each individual family in their own homes, then focus on your effectiveness in teaching. Make sure, first and foremost, that they know you want to spend time with them~that you are honored to be in the position you are and you are willing to do anything to help them understand the gospel better.

After entering each home, pull individual members of each family into separate rooms so as to give the individual one-on-one time with you to be more vulnerable, ask more questions, and avoid possible embarrassment in front of other family members. Do this with caution and prudence, however. For instance, do not “create unnecessary scandal by speaking to women on their own when it would be wiser to speak in the presence of others.” You must be aware of such dynamics because, though they may seem insignificant in your mind and you may know you have pure motives, you must always be aware of the appearance of evil.

So then, while meeting with individuals, discern how much they know of the basics of faith. Do they know the Ten Commandments, for instance? Do they understand the Apostle’s Creed? Then ask them more pointed doctrinal questions. What do they believe about an afterlife? Do they believe the afterlife even exists? What does salvation mean to them? What does sanctification mean, and how does that come about after a man is saved? If you see they are having difficulty answering, answer for them, and explain your biblical reasoning.

Next, look into their specific life situations, their needs, and their character. Sensitively inquire into their personal lives, in the most tactful way, and seek to perceive by the power of the Holy Spirit whether they are truly converted to Christ. If you are convinced that they are still unsaved, then use all the boldness and the skill you possess to help them understand their heart’s condition. Liken yourself to a sick man who was in need of Christ as the Great Physician to save you through His grace. You chose to receive His offer of help. Now they need to choose the same. Do all this while humbly realizing that it is only the Holy Spirit who does the transforming work of the soul.

Encourage your congregants to change their old habits as well. To do that, advise building new friendships with those who will edify them in their faith and push them closer to Christ. Before you leave them, tell them that you hope you have not offended them. Show them that you feel as awkward, perhaps, in pushing them as they do in being challenged. Then make sure the heads of each home are taking responsibility to lead spiritually, as you may not be able to return to that home for a while. Take notes about each individual: “their personal responses, their own private spiritual condition, and their needs.”

Remember as well that different people and different personalities require different approaches in communication. “To the young, lay more stress on the enticements of sensual pleasures and of the great need to have control over their passions .... to the old, be respectful. To the rich, preach self-denial and the deceitfulness of prosperity. To the poor, show the glory of the Gospel.”

If you must, for lack of time, take groups of people together, because taking groups of families and friends together is better than hastily rushing through each individual meeting and giving the impression that you do not have enough time for them.

There are certain kinds of people who will create difficulty for you in maintaining unity and health in the Body of Christ. One of those types is the schismatic. This type of person may appear to have more than the average amount of religious zeal, but at this person’s core, he seeks to create division in the church.

Our ultimate responsibility, then, is to the health of the church as a whole~not to those types of individuals, who may not ever live out true faith. We must be clever and knowledgeable to know how to handle such people and expose the error of their ways through humbly living out our faith. If we allow ourselves to get confused and taken aback by such troublemakers, our members may see our struggle and begin to lose confidence in the truth behind their own faith.

Make sure you are feeding your congregation hearty spiritual food and not just staying on an unhealthy plateau of spiritual milk. Then your congregation will have confidence in your grasp and communication of the Scriptures, and they will have less time to think about causing division.

From the pulpit, then, “state clearly those truths that fully refute the errors they [the schismatics] are teaching.” In the most noncontroversial way possible, without naming anyone in particular, preach on those truths without bias but with solid conviction from scriptural evidence. Let your members know they can ask you any questions, no matter how great their doubt may be, and you will be glad to answer.

Also be aware of the lukewarm Christians and deal with them delicately as well. However, do not be afraid to be direct while still being sensitive. Tell them how concerned you are that they seem to take their salvation so lightly. Provide the necessary counsel, while at the same time being cautious not to judge them prematurely, for it is not a small thing to discern a person’s salvation. Then direct them into daily devotions, solid friendships, and honoring the Sabbath, while maintaining a personal closeness to them so that you can lend assistance to them as they fight their specific temptations and pitfalls.

In all of this, never forget to employ the God-given gifts of the laymen.

Encourage laymen in their strengths. Ask them to visit the poor and the sick. Invite them to uplift the downtrodden. Admonish them to teach and guide their families in the ways of God. Show them how to evangelize those who do not understand salvation and guide them in representing Christ with brotherly love to their fellow believers. Ask them to pray in public meetings and always encourage their private prayer lives as the most powerful strategy for effective ministry and, ultimately, for true relationship with our Savior. Appoint deacons to aid you in discipline and in delegation of church duties and, in doing so, verbally recognize the qualities in each leader that gave you the desire to put them into their positions of leadership.

In these ways, you will build your congregation to be steady and strong, build them into believers who know the Word of God and know the God of the Word and who serve Him wholeheartedly.