Resurrecting Excellence: Shaping Faithful Christian Ministry (Pulpit & Pew

by L. Gregory Jones, Kevin R. Armstrong

Christians are of two minds about excellence. We commend excellent teaching, seek out excellent health care, and celebrate excellence in the arts. When a Christian life or congregation is described as excellent, however, we suspect that ambition or success may be getting the better of us.

Resurrecting Excellence aims to rekindle and encourage among Christian leaders an unselfish ambition for the gospel that shuns both competition and mediocrity and rightly focuses on the beauty, power, and excellence of living as faithful disciples of the crucified and risen Christ. Drawing on ancient traditions and on contemporary voices, L. Gregory Jones and Kevin R. Armstrong offer both a theology of excellence and compelling portraits of pastors, lay leaders, and congregations that embody "a more excellent way."

Genres: Leadership, Christianity

196 pages, Paperback

First published March 30, 2006

Reviews

[Neil White · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a book I read early in my ministry and found very helpful. Over a decade later it still has some good insights but I also find myself with a fuller perspective on how a faithful ministry unfolds.

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Much of this book is pretty generic church-talk. However, there are several glimmers of excellence and wonderful wisdom inside.

Where it is particularly effective is in ascribing the role of artist/interpreter to the minister/priest/pastor/preacher. The church as the fourth act in a five-part drama, and being "threatened with resurrection" were concepts that the authors borrowed from others, but it was enjoyable encountering them in this context. My favourite line from the book is quoting Jaroslav Pelikan, describing the difference between "tradition" and "traditionalism": "Traditionalism is the death faith of the living," he says; "tradition is the living faith of the dead."

Recommended for anyone considering ordered or paid lay ministry, or anyone who needs a bit of a pick-me-up after slugging it out in the parish for a while.

[M Christopher · Rating 2 out of 5]

As I was reading this book, I found myself thinking, "I've got to stop buying self-help books on ministry. I never learn anything new from them." But, upon due consideration, I think that may be because I've been so blessed in my teachers, mentors, previous reading habits, and churches.

This is actually quite a solid book with many good ideas. My only problem with it is that I've been exposed to so many of them before. Perhaps it's because of the opportunities mentioned above. Perhaps it's because this book is already 7 years old and the ideas in it have been disseminated in other books and articles.

If you are looking for a good foundational book on building your ministry, then this book is likely to help you. But if you stay current in best practices and concepts, then you are likely to find most of this book a repeat.

[Rich · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an okay book - nothing to get too excited about. Seemed to repeat key ideas over seveal times.