What is the Purpose of The Thriving Pastors Book Series?
By Brian Croft (Series Editor)
Did you know that sometimes churches are not safe for pastors?
You may have heard my story. I went to pastor a dying church on the Southend of Louisville, Kentucky. It was brutally difficult. There were three different movements to fire me in my first five years. There were threats of violence against me. Members of the pastoral search team who hired me had left and were slandering my name in the community by my three-year anniversary. At the end of five years, the church ran out of money, and my body began to suffer over the accumulated stress of those five years. I almost left.
But I stayed. God gave grace and perseverance. And in the mysterious providence of God, he began to turn the church in year six. We began to see conversions to Christ. Biblically qualified leaders started to emerge. We raised up and sent out pastors and missionaries. We became a gospel light in the community. In a most amazing turn of events, God changed the hearts of many of my former adversaries—and they became my advocates. Within ten years, we had seen this dying church revitalized and flourishing. During those turbulent years I also wrote my first book, Visit the Sick, and started a free WordPress blog titled Practical Shepherding.
The most astounding part of the early years of my ministry story is how common it is for other pastors. I currently travel all over the world with Practical Shepherding training and caring for pastors. I share my story everywhere I go. The response I hear most often from pastors is stunning, “How did you know my story?” The realities of pastoral ministry portrayed here are universal, applying to pastors in any country, context, or culture. Because of these common and often overwhelming pressures, too many pastors are just getting by—barely surviving in their ministry.
Practical Shepherding seeks to change this reality. We exist to help pastors thrive. We believe it is God’s design and call that pastors thrive even as we die daily (2 Corinthians 4:7–18).
Our model to accomplish this is a holistic approach where we focus on three areas of a pastor’s life:
• The Pastor’s Soul (The need for a pastor to care for his own soul)
• The Pastor’s Ministry (The understanding that a pastor is called to shepherd)
• The Pastor’s Family (The priority for a pastor to care for his family)
Thriving requires equal care for all three: soul, ministry, and family. When these areas are healthy and well-ordered, a pastor can thrive. When this happens, a pastor’s flourishing depends not on an easy ministry context, but on how well he stewards himself holistically in every area.
The means by which Practical Shepherding seeks to accomplish this thriving is also threefold:
• Cohorts (Free online groups of pastors who meet regularly for training and care)
• Content (Books, podcasts, articles, videos, social media, and our website)
• Care (Counseling, one-on-one mentoring, events, and the Shepherd’s Houses)
Through this model and these means, Practical Shepherding serves approximately 10,000 pastors every year around the world. We are convinced that as we strengthen and encourage pastors, local churches are strengthened and grow in health, ultimately leading to the gospel going out from these local churches and into the world to accomplish the Great Commission.
This new book series is part of the means to accomplish this task.
The Thriving Pastors Series
For the last twenty years, it has been my great joy to write and create most of the core resources for Practical Shepherding. I was not a writer when I began. I believed, however, I had a knack for thinking through and then explaining the practical matters of pastoral ministry and I saw there was a gaping hole when it came to needed resources of that nature. I also felt I had something to say. For the past two decades, I have worked hard to say some of what needed saying about pastoral ministry, trusting it would be a help to pastors who walk this same road.
I believe I have said what I need to say. Now, it is time for me to invite others to say these things in their own voice from their own context of ministry. Authors who are faithful pastors I know and trust. Pastors who have experienced the joys and sorrows of pastoral ministry. Voices of men in whom I have personally invested who share the same DNA and convictions of Practical Shepherding.
That is the aim for the “Thriving Pastors Series.”
Description of the series
This series is a partnership between Practical Shepherding and Courier Publishing. It is made up of smaller, compact books, each in soft cover form. Each book addresses a particular pastoral question that is unique to pastoral ministry in the local church. Modern pastors face some very strange, unusual, and uniquely challenging pastoral issues that pastors even a decade or two ago did not face. And with the increased secularization of the culture and the number of churches in North America dying and closing their doors—those struggles are even more pronounced. Pastors need each other to help discern how to face these challenging scenarios in their ministry. This book series provides the voice of experienced pastors who write out of the wrestlings and struggles of their own ministries, including personal and family challenges. This series seeks to highlight the wisdom from the Holy Spirit that flows from these pastors. Our hope is to publish 25 - 30 books in this series in the next 5 – 7 years.
Each book in the series is titled with a provocative question directed at a pastor. The question might come from another pastor, a church leader, or a member of the congregation. The subtitle clearly summarizes the book’s central idea. Written from a pastor’s perspective, each volume reads as an honest, personal response to the question—enabling the author to think aloud, carefully evaluating different angles, and openly wrestling with the issue himself.
The flow for each book
There is a common pattern for each book:
The author begins by sharing his own compelling personal struggle with the topic, drawing from authentic experiences in ministry and life to draw readers in and to establish vulnerability and even camaraderie.
Chapter 1—Establishes the biblical paradigm, laying a solid scriptural foundation for understanding the issue.
Chapter 2—Explores the theological and historical dimensions, examining key doctrines, debates, and developments related to the subject.
Chapter 3—Engages the pastoral realities, addressing the practical challenges, nuances, and everyday implications pastors and church leaders face in applying the topic within congregational life.
Chapter 4—Ends with clear, accessible practical implications, offering actionable steps and wise guidance that rise above the complexities to help readers implement biblical truth effectively in their ministries and lives.
What to expect in this first book in the series
I am particularly excited for the first book. While It is the first of many, and the title alone should pique your attention. Pastor, What Are You Wearing? is the book you did not think you needed—but many do. This is not a critique of anyone’s fashion sense, but a gentle question: Why is thoughtful reflection on what we wear—and the reasons behind it—so uncommon among pastors given our biblical calling and pastoral office? Kyle helps the reader learn the unspoken, powerful message of attire and does so in a winsome, humorous, and charitable manner. And the graphs and guides in the appendix are worth the price of the book alone.
Enjoy this book. It’s a fun read. I pray it is helpful.
And look for other books in the series to come soon.
Editors note: you can find more information about “Pastor, what are you wearing?” here.