This book is real. It doesn’t sound academic but is more of the I’ve-done-it-and-lived-to-talk-about-it variety. H. B. Charles Jr. has pastored for 25 years and has been through battles and crises, so you feel that he understands as you reflect on your own in the ministry. The spiritual temperature of this book is high, its God-honoring viewpoint is apparent, its proclamation of the primacy of the Word in preaching is clear, and its general encouragement to stay at it is unwavering.

Mr. Charles covered every topic that you’ve come to expect in these type volumes, but here you find more heart. There’s a rawness that says the author has learned through both success and failure. There are things he’s been taught by others as well as things he’s learned the hard way. In some cases, his main benefit is the affirmation of your own conclusions that have also developed in the turbulence of ministry. He will encourage you to never lose the awe of your call, nor the wonder of your work, even if you are inflicted with the occasional scar.

The book is divided into three main parts: the pastor’s heart, the pastor’s leadership, and the pastor’s public ministry. Each part gets 10 down-to-earth chapters. I agreed with his conclusions again and again. I appreciated the needed reminders of what I already knew. All in all, this book left me encouraged. What could be higher praise for a book on pastoring?

I received this map free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.