The New Guidebook for Pastors

by James W. Bryant

The New Guidebook for Pastors is written in the tradition of classics like Criswell’s Guidebook for Pastors . But since most pastoral guidebooks available today date back to 1980 or earlier, this new resource by Mac Brunson and James W. Bryant will offer fresh experience-based encouragement to all pastors in their pursuit of excellence and development in their God-called profession. Among the twenty chapters are "The Pastor and His Call," "The Pastor and His Family," "The Pastor and His Staff," "The Pastor and Worship," "The Pastor and Finances," "The Pastor, Wedding, and Funerals," "The Pastor, Politics, and Moral Issues," and "The Pastor and His Denomination."

Genres: Leadership, Religion, Church, Nonfiction, Christian, Theology, Reference

324 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 1, 2007

Reviews

[Doug Hanna · Rating 1 out of 5]

The authors have an irresponsible tendency to abuse Scripture to prove a point.
Some advice was just awful. One example that stood out was the idea that pastors shouldn't spend much time counseling any individual or couple because he doesn't have the time or skills and the people that you help will inevitably think all of your sermons are "about them" and will leave the church.

[Justin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I went back and forth on this one a little. Some of it I disagree with, but there's some good stuff to consider. It feels pretty old-fashioned (I was surprised to doublecheck and see it's only 10 years old) and I could see that being a block to some readers. It seems like a decent reference as an overview of a larger number of topics, but it's not essential or the final word.

[Tonya Hancock · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not very helpful, and discriminative to female clergy.

Very gender biased. (Only males are called to preach) Refers to prosperity gospels more than once. Very little help in tackling the administrative and technical roles of a pastor.

[Michael Harshman · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are looking for a practical guidebook as a new pastor and you are in agreement with the Southern Baptist viewpoints, then look no further. I have seen many comments on this book where people are providing some negative feedback about it from the perspective that it may alienate a woman from being a pastor. However, you have to remember, "The New Guidebook for Pastors" is written from the Southern Baptist perspective and belief.

"The New Guidebook for Pastors" really is an updated and revised version of W.A. Criswell's "Criswell's Guidebook for Pastors", which I believe was published around 1980 or so. I have not personally seen a copy of Criswell's book, so I cannot personally speak to what was updated or revised in The New Guidebook for Pastors.

This book is not exhaustive by any means as each chapter could almost have its own book devoted to it. While I may not necessarily agree wholeheartedly with absolutely everything in this book, I found it to be a very practical guidebook to help a pastor (new or old) grow in their ministry.

This book does bring some of the more modern situations into perspective, where you may have seen or read older books that don't cover these things (such as using technology during sermons for just one example). Is it completely up to date, meaning 2018 technology? No. but this book was published in 2007, so for that time, it is a fairly cutting-edge book.

"The New Guidebook for Pastors" does cover some topics that I have not even seen covered in some other pastor guidebooks, which I found helpful. Topics such as How to Build Your Personal Library, Sample Staff Organization Charts, Journaling and Filing (organization skills), Salary and Benefits, and many others.

Again, this book is from the Southern Baptist perspective. But even if you are not Southern Baptist, I can guarantee that you will find a lot of practical help and advice in this book.

I would strongly recommend "The New Guidebook for Pastors". This would especially be on my "must buy" list for anyone that is a new pastor. Again, keeping in mind your particular denomination may or may not follow all of the Southern Baptist beliefs in this book, but there is still a ton of practical things that you will benefit from.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

[Scott Worden · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent book for future pastors. Some parts are definitely a bit biased on the ultra conservative side but I found a lot of the advice useful.

[Nickolas Hartman · Rating 2 out of 5]

Outdated and generally unhelpful. Quotes men who have fallen from ministry or have been discovered to abuse power. Not well written. Had to read for a seminary class but I’d skip it if I didn’t.

[Danielle Cohen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some good values, advice and wisdom!
Very outdated. I would love an updated version that’s not so overtly Baptist.

[Matthew · Rating 2 out of 5]

There were some helpful things here, especially for those going into SBC-specific ministry, but overall, I didn't find much here. Maybe there's a cultural gap going on, but I couldn't relate to much of what they said from my own church experience. It felt VERY Southern. There were even a few places where I thought the theology was completely wrong, especially in the chapters discussing marriage. Like I said, there are some helpful resources, in both the chapters and the appendices, that I could see myself possibly coming back to at some point, but there are much better options in my opinion.

[Guillaume Bourin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Practical, but sometimes too simplistic. The book is mostly written to Southern Baptist Churches. Most of the examples are taken from Churches of this denomination (this is not surprising, since both of them have a significant influence in the SBC network). Many sections of the book are irrelevant for other denominations or in an international context. If you don't hold to the "single elder model", this book may disappoint you.

[Aaron Shamp · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay book. Not spectacular.

[Ivan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some compelling sections, but mostly just mediocre.

[Daniel Scheiderer · Rating 3 out of 5]

So-so. There are are issues I have with their ecclesiology, but for what it's for it's a decent book

[Mark A Powell · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some helpful practical wisdom here. Also some pragmatic, formula-driven instruction based more on tradition than Scripture. Decent, but therr are far better options out there.

[Erik Spohr · Rating 2 out of 5]

Helpful for new pastors, especially those serving in a Baptist context. A bit overreaching at times with sweeping generalizations, but nonetheless, beneficial.