The Imperfect Pastor (Zack Erswine)

The Imperfect Pastor

Discovering Joy in Our Limitations through a Daily Apprenticeship with Jesus

Dear Pastor,

Desire burns within you. You’ve trained and dreamed of doing large things in famous ways as fast as you can for God’s glory. But pastoral work keeps requiring your surrender to small, mostly overlooked things over long periods of time.

You stand at a crossroads. Jesus stands with you. You were never meant to know everything, fix everything, and be everywhere at once. That’s his job, not yours.

So what now? Let the apprenticeship begin.

About the Author

Zack Eswine (PhD, Regent University) is lead pastor at Riverside Church in Webster Groves, Missouri, and enjoys writing about life and ministry in Jesus. He is also the author of Preaching to a Post-Everything World and Spurgeon’s Sorrows: Realistic Hope for those who Suffer from Depression.

Commendations

“It’s hard to imagine a book packed with more grace and insight into the extraordinary life of the ordinary pastor. So I’ll quit trying and just read Zack Eswine’s The Imperfect Pastor again. No one today shows more insight into the perils and joys of everyday ministry in the local church—a refreshingly honest and beautifully written meditation.”
— Mark Galli, Editor, Christianity Today

“The Imperfect Pastor might be the most helpful and profound book I’ve read in years. If you’re in pastoral ministry, grab a copy.” — Matt Chandler, lead pastor, The Village Church, Dallas, Texas; president, Acts 29 Church Planting Network; author, The Mingling of Souls and The Explicit Gospel 

“I wish I’d read this book 25 years ago when I first began to consider pastoral ministry. The ground Zack covers is vital for novices and senior pastors alike. He steers us well clear of dangerous ambitions, absurd expectations, and corrosive work patterns. But he does so with wit, self-deprecation, and deeply felt realism. Erswine reignited in me a love for the Perfect Shepherd who has the extraordinary grace to include imperfect shepherds in his kingdom work. This should be on everyone’s must-read list!”
— Mark Meynell, Associate Director for Europe, Langham Preaching; and author of A Wilderness of Mirrors

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