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Rating: 
Summary: Should Be Required Reading By All Student Preachers!
Review: I like this book! Dr. Peterson has a special knack of putting the common into the light of the extraordinary and the extraordinary into the light of the common. His musings on the "subversive" pastor are worth the price of the book. I read and continue to re-read this chapter. It inspires and motivates me to live out my calling as a leader fearlessly. Thank you, Dr. Peterson!
Rating:
Summary: This is My Favorite of All Peterson's Books!
Review: POSITIVES
If I had the opportunity to put together a small list of "must have" books for the libraries of Christian Leaders across the nation, this book would be on that list. It is wonderfully profound and simple at the same time. It reminds the pastor what God has called the pastor to be, yet is valuable for laity to read also.PROBLEMS
If I was forced to list one drawback with this book, it would be the writing style. Peterson is a contemplative calling pastors to this wonderfully powerful unbusy, subversive, apocalyptic lifestyle. However, many of our nation's pastors are not contemplative. They are pragmatic. If the author started the book with a mission statement, then offered several practical steps on how to arrive at the stated goal, thereby planting new churches or increasing the attendance, that would be a book that many pastors could understand. Add to that mix a paradigm shift or logical discussion of impending theological struggle and you will had a best seller. This book takes another set of skills. The type of skills necessary to enjoy poetry.
Rating:
Summary: This is My Favorite of All Peterson's Books!
Review: POSITIVES
If I had the opportunity to put together a small list of "must have" books for the libraries of Christian Leaders across the nation, this book would be on that list. It is wonderfully profound and simple at the same time. It reminds the pastor what God has called the pastor to be, yet is valuable for laity to read also. PROBLEMS
If I was forced to list one drawback with this book, it would be the writing style. Peterson is a contemplative calling pastors to this wonderfully powerful unbusy, subversive, apocalyptic lifestyle. However, many of our nation's pastors are not contemplative. They are pragmatic. If the author started the book with a mission statement, then offered several practical steps on how to arrive at the stated goal, thereby planting new churches or increasing the attendance, that would be a book that many pastors could understand. Add to that mix a paradigm shift or logical discussion of impending theological struggle and you will had a best seller. This book takes another set of skills. The type of skills necessary to enjoy poetry.
Rating: 
Summary: Helpful for the Busy Pastor who Shouldn't Be
Review: The Contemplative Pastor - the first book I have read by Eugene Peterson - is a helpful study not in sermon preparation or church growth strategies or qualifications for eldership (the kind of stuff I usually read), but on the pastor's heart and the pastoral art. Peterson describes the term "pastor" with three unusual adjectives: un-busy, subversive, and apocalyptic (a chapter is devoted to each term), and then charts a course for shepherding people in the mundane. Peterson's poetry is sprinkled through the book, concluding with numerous poems at the end. Unfortunately, his poetry is not all that good. To me, it just seemed like the throwing together of pretty words without much rhyme or reason. But there are some jewels to be mined here - especially Peterson's job description for the un-busy pastor who devotes his time to prayer, bringing messages from God, and listening to his people, his meditation on "the middle voice" in relation to prayer, and his chapter "The Ministry of Small Talk."
Rating:
Summary: Helpful for the Busy Pastor who Shouldn't Be
Review: The Contemplative Pastor - the first book I have read by Eugene Peterson - is a helpful study not in sermon preparation or church growth strategies or qualifications for eldership (the kind of stuff I usually read), but on the pastor's heart and the pastoral art. Peterson describes the term "pastor" with three unusual adjectives: un-busy, subversive, and apocalyptic (a chapter is devoted to each term), and then charts a course for shepherding people in the mundane. Peterson's poetry is sprinkled through the book, concluding with numerous poems at the end. Unfortunately, his poetry is not all that good. To me, it just seemed like the throwing together of pretty words without much rhyme or reason. But there are some jewels to be mined here - especially Peterson's job description for the un-busy pastor who devotes his time to prayer, bringing messages from God, and listening to his people, his meditation on "the middle voice" in relation to prayer, and his chapter "The Ministry of Small Talk."
Rating:
Summary: Profound Pastoral Insights
Review: When I first started reading this book, I thought perhaps it was a waste of money. There was no meaty theological discussion, just basic, almost simplistic spirituality. Then it occurred to me that as pastors we tend to get so busy and so preoccupied with the "meaty" theological matters and the more "advanced" spiritual issues that we lose touch with the fundamentals. Here Peterson offers pastors a slower, change-of-pace that is refreshing and renewing. I especially appreciated his chapter entitled "The Ministry of Small Talk." There is a place in our busy lives as ministers to discuss more trivial things with other people. Through spending time conversing about smaller issues, we can make larger strides in relationships. This book is the first one I have read by Peterson. I don't plan for it to be the last. If you are a busy, burdened pastor, it will do you good to read this insightful work.
Rating:
Summary: Profound Pastoral Insights
Review: When I first started reading this book, I thought perhaps it was a waste of money. There was no meaty theological discussion, just basic, almost simplistic spirituality. Then it occurred to me that as pastors we tend to get so busy and so preoccupied with the "meaty" theological matters and the more "advanced" spiritual issues that we lose touch with the fundamentals. Here Peterson offers pastors a slower, change-of-pace that is refreshing and renewing. I especially appreciated his chapter entitled "The Ministry of Small Talk." There is a place in our busy lives as ministers to discuss more trivial things with other people. Through spending time conversing about smaller issues, we can make larger strides in relationships. This book is the first one I have read by Peterson. I don't plan for it to be the last. If you are a busy, burdened pastor, it will do you good to read this insightful work.
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