Brian Croft > Quotes

“In 1854, at the young age of twenty, Spurgeon became pastor of a church in London (New Park Street Chapel), which later became the Metropolitan Tabernacle. Spurgeon had barely been in London twelve months when a severe case of cholera swept through London. Spurgeon recounts his efforts to care for and visit the numerous sick in the midst of horrific conditions: “All day, and sometimes all night long, I went about from house to house and saw men and women dying, and, oh, how glad they were to see my face! When many were afraid to enter their houses lest they should catch the deadly disease, we who had no fear about such things found ourselves most gladly listened to when we spoke of Christ and of things Divine.”16”
― Brian Croft, Visit the Sick: Ministering God’s Grace in Times of Illness

“If you want to make virtually any believer feel inadequate, ask him about his prayer life.”
― Brian Croft, The Pastor's Soul: The Call and Care of an Undershepherd

“The question has nothing to do with the size of your church but with you—as a man. The first issue is not whether my decline is noticeable to others and has affected my public ministry, but who am I and what am I before God when no one is watching?”
― Brian Croft, The Pastor's Soul: The Call and Care of an Undershepherd

“We are to be shepherds who lead and feed our flocks to spiritual maturity and fruitfulness in Christ.”
― Brian Croft, The Pastor's Ministry: Biblical Priorities for Faithful Shepherds

“Waiting is putting a pause on our stirring, without pausing our belief that God will not fail to deliver his goodness to us!”
― Brian Croft, The Unhurried Pastor: Redefining Productivity for a More Sustainable Ministry

“That’s what care for the sick ultimately reveals — our deep love for souls, specifically the souls of those with whom we have made a covenant in our local church. As we fellowship, love, care, and encourage one another, let us not lose sight of those who can all too easily be forgotten. Those who are sick don’t have the energy or the ability to fight for our attention, like so many other things in our lives do. Instead, we must take the initiative. Visiting the sick will not slide easily into our schedules. It will interrupt our plans. But we must not grow discouraged or frustrated. We must take heart. As we are intentional in our calling to visit the sick, we can trust that we are engaged in a divine task — souls are being loved and nurtured; we ourselves are being transformed into the likeness of Jesus Christ; the gospel is being revealed through this ministry; and God is being glorified.”
― Brian Croft, Visit the Sick: Ministering God’s Grace in Times of Illness

“Food, and what we use it for, can be a very insightful gaze into the state of our souls. It is for me.”
― Brian Croft, The Pastor's Soul: The Call and Care of an Undershepherd

“The most courageous pastors are the ones who don’t perform, but rest in their identity in Christ and live in the freedom of being themselves before their people.”
― Brian Croft, The Pastor's Soul: The Call and Care of an Undershepherd

“Genuine pastoral productivity—of a kind that brings joy and longevity—is unlocked through the practices reflected in some of the titles of chapters that follow: humanity, humility, self-awareness, prayer, contemplation, silence, rest, friendship.”
― Brian Croft, The Unhurried Pastor: Redefining Productivity for a More Sustainable Ministry

“the promises of God aren’t theological puzzles waiting to be solved; they are torches meant to set our damp souls ablaze.”
― Brian Croft, Pray for the Flock: Ministering God's Grace Through Intercession

“The most important area for a pastor to watch over is his relationship with God, his need to cultivate a deep, genuine, transparent, and heartfelt daily walk with Jesus. Pastors are first and foremost individuals who have been transformed by the gospel of Jesus. They need grace. They need forgiveness. They need peace in their soul. This investment of time is not something a pastor does just to have a better ministry, though it will likely make him a better man, husband, father, and pastor of his flock. But walking passionately with Jesus every day is something every pastor needs, and it is an amazing and precious gift from the heavenly Father.”
― Brian Croft, The Pastor's Ministry: Biblical Priorities for Faithful Shepherds

“In the last few decades, the internet and social media have caused an already busy, hurried, and unsustainable approach to pastoral ministry to become even busier, more hurried, and more unsustainable.”
― Brian Croft, The Unhurried Pastor: Redefining Productivity for a More Sustainable Ministry

“This means we must intentionally avoid elevating our gifts over the gifts of others or writing off other responsibilities just because they aren’t part of our gifting. For the sake of unity and growth in the gospel, we must learn to encourage mutual and joyous submission to one another.”
― Brian Croft, Oversee God's People: Shepherding the Flock Through Administration and Delegation

“appearance of evil. For example, it is hard to accuse a pastor of having an affair if everyone knows that a pastor will not be alone in a room with another woman other than his wife.”
― Brian Croft, The Pastor's Soul: The Call and Care of an Undershepherd

“Compassion is most clearly displayed in our care in those moments when we are frustrated and ready to give up — but then we don’t. We press on. We try again. We speak the same encouraging words we’ve spoken many times before in the anticipation that the Spirit of God will one day allow them to stick.”
― Brian Croft, The Pastor's Ministry: Biblical Priorities for Faithful Shepherds