Holiness
This selection from Guthrie and Durham with its aim at holiness as the key to not falling prey to burn out and moral failure would be helpful for every officer in Christ's Church.
Description
"A minister cannot be confident in his calling without being holy."—James Durham
Faithful pastors recognize their need for self-examination and humble repentance. Preventing Ministry Failure draws from faithful men of the past to provide a thorough guide for today's pastors to openly discuss and repent of their common failings.
Preventing Ministry Failure is an updated version of James Guthrie’s A Humble Acknowledgement of the Sins of the Ministry (1651) combined with extracts from James Durham’s Commentary on Revelation. Beyond updating the language, the editors have added references verses and application questions to stimulate meditation, reflection, discussion. Pastors will enjoy help, encouragement, and counsel as they strive to fulfill their ministries above reproach.
Contents
Endorsements
“These are solemn confessions—the confessions of men who knew the nature of that ministry on which they had entered, and who were desirous of approving themselves to Him who had called them, that they might give in their account with joy and not with grief.... Let us, as they did, deal honestly with ourselves. Our confessions ought to be no less ample and searching.”
—Horatius Bonar
“As a young seminary student with many heavy tomes to work through, my initial relief at the brevity of this title on my reading list was soon replaced by admiration at how so much profound self-examination could be packed into so few pages.”
—From the Foreword by David G. Whitla
About the Authors
James Guthrie (1612–1661) was pastor of the church in Lauder, Berwickshire and later minister of Stirling.
James Durham (1622–1658) served as minister at Black Friars Church in Glasgow, as a chaplain to King Charles II, and as a minister at the Inner Kirk of the cathedral in Glasgow. Known for his piety, wisdom, and scholarship, Durham stands as one of the great Scottish Presbyterians of the seventeenth century.