In this hilariously humbling fable about modern church culture, a master storyteller pokes fun at the RprofessionalizationS of doing the Lord's work.

A veteran Baptist pastor and ministry professor offers a distinctive free church vision for pastoral leadership, attending to voices from the past four centuries as they speak about the practice of ministry. The book contains theological reflection on current ministry issues among Baptists based on biblical and historical foundations and reflects a diversity of Baptist life across time and around the world, including many different voices. Each chapter contains reflection questions to help readers consider the implications of Baptist thinking.

Don’t Quit Your Church is a foundational philosophy of ministry that serves two distinct purposes. First, it serves as hope for struggling ministers who are suffering from “perceived failure” in the ministry and are strongly considering resigning their current position. Secondly, it offers insight to those who are at the beginning stages of discovering a biblical and unique approach to ministry. The clergy of the postmodern era are in crisis! The level of today’s challenges have reached fever pitch and the church throughout most of the world is not able to hold her own ground. When the daily news informs those of faith that the good fight is turning into a rout, the church is forced to rethink her strategy. This begins with the minister. The stability of the minister’s purpose and calling are of the utmost importance. Unfortunately, today’s minister lives with many misconceptions about the work of the calling. This has resulted in frustrated pastors, consistent discouraging results, souring relationships, and, eventually, the minister chooses to walk away. Don’t Quit Your Church is a plea for the struggling minister to move from emotional reaction to thoughtful consideration and from frustration to resolve. Serving as both a foundational philosophy of Christian ministry and a help in time of trouble, this work should be read and reread by those who desire a ministry and approach that will endure during the difficult days ahead.