Preventing Ministry Failure

"A minister cannot be confident in his calling without being holy." James Durham. Faithful pastors recognize their need for self-examination and humble repentance. Preventing Ministry Failure draws from faithful men of the past to provide a thorough guide for today's pastors to openly discuss and repent of their common failings. Preventing Ministry Failure is an updated version of James Guthrie’s A Humble Acknowledgement of the Sins of the Ministry (1651) combined with extracts from James Durham’s Commentary on Revelation. Beyond updating the language, the editors have added references verses and application questions to stimulate meditation, reflection, discussion. Pastors will enjoy help, encouragement, and counsel as they strive to fulfill their ministries above reproach.

Publisher: Reformation Heritage Books
Type: Paperback
ISBN: 9781601789365

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James Guthrie (1612–1661) was pastor of the church in Lauder, Berwickshire and later minister of Stirling. James Durham (1622–1658) served as minister at Black Friars Church in Glasgow, as a chaplain to King Charles II, and as a minister at the Inner Kirk of the cathedral in Glasgow. Known for his piety, wisdom, and scholarship, Durham stands as one of the great Scottish Presbyterians of the seventeenth century.

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“These are solemn confessions—the confessions of men who knew the nature of that ministry on which they had entered, and who were desirous of approving themselves to Him who had called them, that they might give in their account with joy and not with grief.... Let us, as they did, deal honestly with ourselves. Our confessions ought to be no less ample and searching.” Horatius Bonar