<transcy>Faithful Endurance (Courir avec persévérance) </transcy>

Pastors talk to pastors. This book is for pastors and church leaders who are facing painful trials related to their ministry. Here are the topics covered and the authors who answer them:

• Take care of his spiritual health (Tim Keller)
• Dealing with the temptation to quit (Don Carson)
• Preach weekly without repeating yourself (Bryan Chapell)
• Face the Critics (Dan Doriani)
• Serve a Church You Wouldn't Have Attended (Tom Ascol)
• Protect your wife from the criticisms you receive (Juan and Jeanine Sanchez)
• Living after the "betrayal" of those who leave (Dave Harvey)
• Manage the feeling of failure because the Church is stagnating (Gilles Georgel, Pierre Bariteau)
• Overcome the desire to end it, depression (Étienne Lhermenault)
• Serving a Church Growing Too Fast for Its Donations (Scott Patty)
• Persevere despite failing finances (Éric Waechter)
• Serve despite doubts about his call (Jeff Robinson Sr)

The authors are experienced pastors who entered the race a long time ago and continue to persevere today. With compassion and relying on the Bible, they share their suffering in the field, but also their loyalty and endurance. You will find in them sort of mentors from a distance. Through numerous practical advice which draws on biblical wisdom, they tell you, with an open heart, how God worked for their sanctification through the trials of pastoral reality. Three chapters were written by French authors.

Authors

American contributors

• Tom ascol is the pastor of Grace Baptist Church in Cape Coral, Florida. He is also the executive director of Founders Ministries.
• Don carson is the president of the Gospel Coalition [Gospel 21]. He also taught the New Testament at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois for forty years.
• Bryan chapell is the pastor of Grace Presbyterian Church in Peoria, Illinois. He is on the board of the Gospel Coalition.
• Dan Doriani is the Vice President of Strategic Academic Projects and Professor of Theology and Ethics at Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri. He is also on the board of the Gospel Coalition.
• Collin hansen is the editor of the Gospel Coalition. He sits on the advisory board of Beeson Divinity School.
• Dave harvey is the executive director of Sojourn Network. He teaches at Summit Church in Fort Myers and Naples, Florida. He is the founder of “Am I called? »[Am I called?].
• Tim keller is the founding pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Manhattan. He is also the president of Redeemer City to City and the vice-president of the Gospel Coalition.
• Scott Patty is the founding pastor of Grace Community Church in Nashville, Tennessee.
• Jeff Robinson Sr is the pastor of Christ Fellowship Church in Louisville, Kentucky. He is also editor-in-chief of the Gospel Coalition.
• Juan Sanchez is the pastor of High Pointe Baptist Church in Austin, Texas. He sits on the board of the Gospel Coalition.

French contributors

• Pierre Bariteau converted during his engineering studies in Great Britain. After receiving Bible training, he returned to France in 1984 to work alongside Ralph Shallis. Very involved for twenty-five years in the local ministry with an emphasis on teaching, youth and evangelism, national responsibilities took over. For ten years he has been secretary general of the Evangelical Entente des Caef. He is working on the issue of revitalization with the creation of an audit tool and team participation in the Cnef Development Learning Commission.
• Gilles Georgel is involved with the association France pour Christ. Evangelist-planter in France for nearly forty years, he has worked in the Vosges and Picardy - alone or in a team. He has written several books including Je vis avec ce intrus, le handicap and Le Grand Visitor. Following his depression, he maintains a blog. URL: https://depressionchretienne.home.blog.
• Etienne Lhermenault is professor and director of the Biblical Institute of Nogent. He was the first president of the National Council of Evangelicals of France (Cnef). He is also a seconded pastor of the Federation of Evangelical Baptist Churches of France, a former student of the Emmaüs biblical and missionary institute (Saint-Légier, Switzerland) and of the free faculty of evangelical theology (Vaux-sur-Seine, France).
• Eric Waechter , after a few years spent in the telecommunications industry as an engineer, trained at the Biblical Institute of Nogent-sur-Marne and did a master's degree at the Free Faculty of Evangelical Theology of Vaux-sur-Seine . Responsible for missions for the Caef, he takes care of the recruitment and support of pastors within this union. He is also the president of the Réseau Fef.

Recommendations

I enjoyed reading this book full of humanity and integrity with regard to pastoral ministry and the responsibilities of a pastor. After forty years of ministry, I confirm that these situations and these questions correspond entirely to the experience of a pastor, the ministry as a leader, the preaching, the pastoral couple, the finances, the Board of Directors, etc.

It is an original idea to encourage fidelity and perseverance from practical situations in which any pastor recognizes himself.
I wholeheartedly subscribe to the advice which insists on personal vigilance especially of our hearts, as the most precious possession. In times of blessings and trials, our hearts are what we need to watch above all else to avoid slipping into dangerous satisfaction, or bitterness and discouragement in crises.

Psalm 91 affirms that the righteous grow like the palm trees and the cedars of Lebanon, that is to say often in hostile ground. The ministry must be lived by the strength of the one who called us, not by ours, so that the glory returns to God.
- Christian Blanc, president of the National Council of Evangelicals of France

A pastor knows wear and tear; it falls into discouragement and depression. This book is short but rich on the pastoral level. No doubt it will restore spiritual vigor to pastors. Pastors, read and ponder each of the contributions in this book: they will bring you strength and comfort throughout your journey.
- Thomas R. Schreiner, professor of New Testament interpretation at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

The ministry is far from being a long quiet river. Who has not wanted to throw in the towel at some point in the face of wear and tear, doubt, criticism, injustices, loneliness and so on? But abandoning the ministry does not necessarily resolve the dilemma, for to varying degrees these are the difficulties of every Christian who wants to faithfully follow his Lord. It is therefore important to face these questionings and the authors of this book share with us with simplicity, but also with courage their journey in the discovery of the all sufficiency of the grace of God. To read and reread!
- Mike Evans, Gospel 21 president

This is a useful book for all those who are exhausted or discouraged in their commitment to the service of the Lord and his Church. It is also a necessary book for those starting a ministry. Their path will include parallel paths of which they do not yet have the measure: the one, joyful, of a service to noble and eternal objectives, and the other, terribly dark, of their own human and spiritual insufficiencies, aggravated by contact with those of others. This reading will allow everyone to anticipate the pitfalls of the ministry and to take into account the wise advice given by these experienced servants.
- Florent Varak

This book is awesome! I cannot stress the invaluable wisdom it contains. Each chapter is full of practical advice, all provided by seasoned pastors. The call to pastoral ministry is a great honor and the responsibility of preaching the gospel is wonderful, but the life of a pastor inevitably goes through difficult times. Each author speaks of it with the tenderness of compassion, the grace of understanding and the help of the truth spoken in love. If you are a pastor, get this book and read it with an open heart. Then keep it safe because you will go through times when you will have to return to it. You will then find a friend in him.
- Paul David Tripp, president of Paul Tripp Ministries, author of Be parents and A Dangerous Call

Fatigue, suffering, discouragement, doubt… a series of letters calls out to experienced pastors about the trials encountered in the service of God. In response to questions that beset Church leaders about their vocation, the chapters of this book are a soothing balm. They are short, easy-to-read exhortations based on the scripture, faith, and experience of these elders in the ministry. The shared counsels are so many fraternal encouragement to take root more and more in Jesus Christ, by overcoming the traps that our own hearts or the community life of our Church set for us. The chapters of this book make us think and sometimes cry or laugh, but always to help us persevere in the beautiful ministry of pastor.
- Frédéric Bican, pastor of the Church of Action Biblique de Grasse, president of Action Biblique France

The pastoral vocation is a risky profession. The harvest is great, but the workers are insufficient and the abandonments too numerous. Here is a realistic book that warns of risks, but also helps to better manage and anticipate them. Certainly, it is addressed to pastors and to those who are preparing to be, but the members of churches will also benefit from it, for there is no shepherd without a flock and some sheep bite the shepherd. By guarding against a disembodied or triumphalist vision, the authors are men of the field who have known the pains of the ministry: the criticisms, the crises, the doubts as to the call, exhaustion, depression and envy. to give up. They know what they are talking about, they join us in our distress, and they share in a simple and concrete way what it means to run with perseverance.
- Jonathan Ward, president of the Support Network for Ministries (Resam), director of Pierres Vivantes, Entrepierres

The authors of this book were able to identify the areas where the board is soaped for Church leaders. The lived testimonies and the wise advice on the part of wise pastors will help those in charge to avoid certain unfortunately common slippages. I appreciate the salutary use of scriptures that many contributors demonstrate. To be read by all young pastors and all pastors who are going through a difficult time.
- Brad Dickson, pastor and church planter in Aix-en-Provence, professor and former founding member of the IBG committee

Our service immerses us in the discovery of deep realities. Jesus declares: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless the grain of wheat that falls into the earth dies, it remains alone; but if he dies he bears much fruit ”(John 12:24). It is at the service of the Church, counting on the help of God that we enter into the acceptance of death, of that which spreads life around us! I did not know, young pastor, that my death "to me" is the tool which communicates life! I had to experience it: that Jesus increase and that I decrease! The authors encourage me to continue the pilgrimage relying on God! I am well aware that my weaknesses do not disqualify me in this march towards the beyond. It is so good to be at the service of the King of kings, and to promote the beauty of his Bride! This is the effect of HIS GRACE!
- Daniel Herrmann, pastor and pastors coach

Many pastors long for recognition. Recognition of their wives, relatives, members of their community, society, etc. This quest contributes, of course, to the fundamental needs of the human being, but does it not miss the deep reality of the pastorate?
By visiting places of precariousness such as exhaustion, doubt in the face of the call, financial difficulties, the lack of positive feedback following our preaching, this book puts words on lived experiences. It also encourages us to be open to "criticism", while remembering the foundation of what animates our life: Jesus Christ.
Thank you to this book for reminding us of this horizon in the face of our recognition needs!
- Serge Carrel, pastor and journalist, Romande federation of Evangelical Churches (FREE)

In the ministry, you need someone to accompany you. And the wiser the companion, the better. Not all of us have the happy privilege of forming friendships with pastors like those who have contributed to this volume, but here they themselves open the doors of their lives to you. They confide what they went through, their doubts, their trials, everything that broke their pastor's heart. In doing so, they provide guidance that will give hope to those engaged in the ministry. And we all need it.
- J. Ligon Duncan III, president and director of the Reformed Theological Seminary as well as professor of systematic and historical theology

The apostle Paul wrote, "Follow my way of following Christ." We grow not only by learning true Christian notions, but also by being around faithful people. In this book, a brigade of seasoned pastors invites young pastors to follow suit through the jolts and temptations of the ministry. These men open to us the path of wisdom that the Lord, in his fidelity, offers to each new generation. I would have liked to read this good book when I was a young pastor.
- Ray Ortlund, pastor of Immanuel Church, Nashville, Tennessee

Details

Original title : Faithful Endurance
Author : Collective
Publisher : BLF Editions
Release : June 2020
ISBN : 978-2-36249-545-8
Pages : 184
Dimensions : 14 x 21 cm
Format : paperback
Weight : 226 g