Two Helpful New Books for Pastors

by Nathan Finn

As a professor, most of the books I read deal with topics I’m interested in from a scholarly standpoint. But every summer, I try to devote a portion of my reading time to books related to “practical ministry” such as preaching, evangelism, counseling, and pastoral leadership. In the past few days, I’ve read two new books I believe are helpful resources for pastors and other church leaders.

The first book is Earl Blackburn’s Jesus Loves the Church and So Should You: Studies in Biblical Churchmanship (Sold Ground Christian Books, 2010). Blackburn serves as the senior pastor of Heritage Baptist Church in Shreveport, Louisiana. His book is a popular-level introduction to ecclesiology and church membership, written from a Baptist perspective. It complements the writings of other authors such as Mark Dever, John Hammett, Thabiti Anyabwile, and Curtis Thomas.

Jesus Loves the Church and So Should You is a sound guide for pastors and other church staff, but I think it would also make an excellent study for small groups or Sunday School classes. The whole book is worthy of a close reading, but I especially appreciate Blackburn’s discussion of the relationship between the universal church and local churches, the several chapters explaining the nature and responsibilities of church membership, and the advice about the when, whether, and how of moving one’s membership from one church to another. All of these are important issues in an evangelical culture that is dominated by parachurch ministries and post-denominational sensibilities.

The second recommended resource is Conduct Gospel-Centered Funerals: Applying the Gospel at the Unique Challenges of Death (DayOne, 2011), co-authored by Brian Croft and Phil Newton. Croft serves as the senior pastor of Auburndale Baptist Church in Louisville, Kentucky, while Newton has been the longtime pastor of South Woods Baptist Church in Memphis, Tennessee. Croft has written a number of books about pastoral ministry and blogs regularly at Practical Shepherding. Newton has also written widely, most recently on the relationship between biblical eldership and congregational polity.

Conduct Gospel-Centered funerals is a wealth of information about one of the most important, yet difficult aspects of pastoral ministry. Croft and Newton share their wisdom on how to counsel grieving families, how and what to preach, even what biblical texts and hymns are particularly appropriate. The authors also give practical advice on relating to funeral directors, planning and conducting the memorial and graveside services, and a host of other logistical details. They also include some sample funeral sermons and eulogies, which are especially helpful for younger pastors.

I’d highly encourage pastors and ministerial students to add these books to your personal library. Jesus Loves the Church and So Should You is also a great title to add to a church library or bookstore. Both books would also make excellent reading choices for pastoral internship programs, elder training programs, or seminary classes in pastoral ministry.

Nathan Finn (Ph.D., Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary) is Associate Professor of Historical Theology and Baptist Studies at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and an ordained Southern Baptist minister. Nathan is married to Leah and they are the parents of three children. The Finns are members of the First Baptist Church of Durham, where Nathan teaches theology classes and serves as a deacon. Nathan loves teaching at Southeastern because he enjoys showing students how church history applies to gospel ministry in the 21st century and why our historic Baptist identity is a heritage worth preserving. Nathan has contributed chapters to Calvinism: A Southern Baptist Dialogue (B&H) and Southern Baptist Identity: An Evangelical Denomination Faces the Future (Crossway). He also blogs at OneBaptistPerspective.