Reviews for A Primer for Pastors: A Handbook for Strengthening Ministry Skills

The average rating for A Primer for Pastors: A Handbook for Strengthening Ministry Skills based on 2 reviews is 3.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2013-01-10 00:00:00 Frank J Hnatko I love these little books edited by Levering. Levering somehow combines immense erudition and 'theological humility' (in Bonhoeffer's luminous expression) in that his work is telically oriented toward the upbuilding of the church. This little book is no exception - ample yet not overwhelming selections, a combination of canonical and non-canonical authors, a lovely, short blurb of introduction for each figure excerpted, focused discussion questions for each entry, and a helpful general introduction orienting the whole work. The excerpts included are drawn from Clement of Rome, Ignatius of Antioch, Polycarp of Smyrna, John Chyrsostom, Ambrose, Gregory the Great, Bernard of Clairvaux, Thomas Aquinas, Catherine of Sienna, Thomas More, Jane de Chantal, Jean-Jacques Olier, John Henry Newman, The Second Vatican Council, and Pope John Paul II. Several themes emerge in all the excerpts - the duty to flee temptations, which are both more palpable and more dangerous for priests, the tension between the holiness required of the alter Christus and the fact of lingering imperfection, and the requirement of ruling and reproof and the necessity of doing so with charity and without condescension. In this era of massive moral failure among priests and pastors in our churches, Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox, this book helps articulate the two desiderata for melioration - the refusal of Donatism, and the very real requirement that our priests and pastors be better than they have been - as the excerpt from Ignatius reads - 'It is better to say nothing and be than to speak and not to be. It is good to teach, if one practices what he preaches' (15). It is not for nothing that Roman Catholicism expanded globally in an unprecedented way during the Pontificate of JPII, a prelate renowned for ethical gravitas. But the ascetic practices required of the priest and pastor are in short supply in the contemporary therapeutic cultures of the west. It is hard for priests and pastors to take seriously John Chyrsostom's warnings:'The priest must be armed with weapons of steel-intense earnestness and constant sobriety of life--and he must keep watch in every direction, in case anyone should find a naked and unguarded spot and strike him a mortal blow', though they may resonate with his justification of this watchfulness that 'everyone stands round him ready to wound him and strike him down, not only his enemies and foes, but many of those who pretend to love him' (32). The priest and pastor are lightning rods, and if the shepherd is struck, the sheep will be scattered. This little book is required reading for busy pastors who desperately need to heed the warnings of Christian priests and pastors who have gone before them. Notes: Chrysostom on temper: 30-1 Ambrose against avarice: 39 'The church has god, not to store up, but to lay out, and to spend on those who need' (40) Gregory the Great - arrogance in the ruler is against the natural order (44-5) Catherine of Sienna on the centrality of holiness for those who administer the sacraments (72-3) Jean-Jacques Olier on resignation to providence (98) John Henry Newman - the gospel is preached by men, not angels (105) John Paul II - the priesthood of the priest is vicariously Christ's priesthood (135-6) Effective proclamation requires theological education. (143)

Review # 2 was written on 2020-11-29 00:00:00 Darrell Windham It's not so much a "book" as it is a collection of writings on the priesthood spanning the two millenia of the Catholic Church. The wisdom is timeless, and it gives one a very universal and historical understanding of the priesthood--something which is desperately needed amidst the culture and society of the 21st century. From Pope St. Clement to the Second Vatican Council, the Saints and Fathers of the Church have great wisdom which should be accessed and taken to heart by those with the desire to learn and grow.