Memoirs of an Ordinary Pastor: The Life and Reflections of Tom Carson

Author:

Carson, D.A.

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SKU:

9798874905453

Publisher:

Crossway

Format:

Paperback

Pages:

176

Description
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Description

D. A. Carson’s father was a pioneering church-planter and pastor in Quebec. He ministered during a transformative era for French Canada, navigating the harsh realities of persecution and imprisonment faced by Baptist ministers, and ultimately witnessing the spectacular growth and revival in the 1970s.

Through Tom Carson’s journals and written prayers, along with the narrative and historical background provided by his son, readers gain a firsthand account of the life of an ordinary pastor during a pivotal era in North American church history. With words that will ring true for every person who has devoted themselves to the Lord’s work, this unique book serves to remind readers that though the sacrifices of serving God are great, the sweetness of living a faithful, obedient life is greater still.

Biographical: Includes journal entries, written prayers, and the narrative and historical context of Tom Carson’s life
An Unexplored Narrative: This story and era are largely unfamiliar to many in the English-speaking world
Written by D. A. Carson: Tom Carson’s son, cofounder and theologian-at-large of the Gospel Coalition, and author or editor of nearly 200 books

Contents

Foreword
Preface

Chapter 1: O Canada! A Sketch of Québec
Chapter 2: Tom Carson: Beginnings of Life and Ministry
Chapter 3: French Work in Montréal
Chapter 4: Crisis
Chapter 5: The Early Drummondville Years
Chapter 6: Discouragement, Despair, and a Vow
Chapter 7: Civil Servant and Minister of the Gospel
Chapter 8: Pressing On: Transformation and Growth
Chapter 9: Marg’s Alzheimer Years
Chapter 10: Ending Well: Final Ministry and Promotion to Glory

Appendix: The Letter of 5 May 1948

Endorsements

“In a day when we honor megachurch pastors, it is refreshing to read this account of an ordinary pastor—representing the unsung heroes among us who do not aspire to greatness but rather to godliness and faithfulness. This account of Don Carson’s father gives us valuable insight into the life of a man who accepted the challenges of ministry with both integrity and grace, and in the telling of his story we are also treated to a rare insight into the life of a Protestant pastor in French Québec. This book is a powerful reminder that there are no little places if we are faithful to the God who called us. Read it to be blessed, challenged, and instructed in matters that really count.”
—Erwin W. Lutzer, Pastor Emeritus, The Moody Church, Chicago

“Scores of books assure us—ordinary us—that we were meant to be extraordinary or to accomplish extraordinary things for God. Well, thank God, this small book by Don Carson is not one of them. Recounting part of his father’s ordinary life and ministry, and reflecting upon it in his characteristic gospel-centered, lucid way, Don strikes at the heart of what’s wrong with us when we forget that, as servants, we were meant to live ordinarily under the gospel of grace. Read this book. You will be deeply encouraged in your life and ministry. You might also stand corrected about your take on true success. Perhaps you will even end up praying you’ll be deemed as ordinary as Tom Carson was.”
—Michel Lemaire, former Pastor, Église Baptiste de la Foi, Drummondville, Québec

About the Author

D. A. Carson (PhD, Cambridge University) is Emeritus Professor of New Testament at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He is a cofounder and theologian-at-large of the Gospel Coalition and has written and edited nearly two hundred books. He and his wife, Joy, have two children and live in the north suburbs of Chicago.