The Workers are Few

Towards the Repair of Ministerial Training

J Alexander Rutherford

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English

Teleioteti
31 January 2025

Christianity; Christian theology; Personal Christian testimony & inspirational works; Christian social thought & activity

By all indications, the Western Church is facing a crisis of pastoral ministry. Not only are pastors in churches repeatedly demonstrating that they are unfit for the weighty responsibility of pastoring, as seen in the ever-growing list of moral failings in our churches, but we are also training and ordaining fewer ministers than we are losing. Pastoral ministry is on a trajectory of decline despite the fact that the population in Western countries is more and more becoming either post-Christian or non-Christian; God has opened a massive mission field on our doorstep, a mission field that requires workers. We haven't even mentioned the problem of the professionalisation of ministry, whereby the traditional task of soul care is replaced with teaching and leadership, leading to malnourished churches. The Western Church is in the midst of a pastoral crisis, yet we continue to export the same model of ministry and training to the global Church, inviting them to join us in the state of crisis. In Matthew 9:37-38, Jesus invites his disciples to consider the vast harvest of souls God has prepared, a harvest awaiting workers. If we want to see our churches healthy and our neighbours come to know Jesus, we must be interested in God's work to prepare workers for the harvest.

This book is an attempt to repair what is broken, to contribute to the repair of pastoral ministry. I am convinced that no problem is more urgent to the church globally than this one, yet I am also convinced the solution to this problem is quite simple. This book argues that we are in the midst of a crisis because we have swapped the biblical vision of pastoral ministry for a poor substitute and are failing to raise disciples in our local church. Part 1 identifies significant reasons why we are in a crisis; Part 2 lays a biblical foundation for rebuilding a biblical model of pastoral ministry; and Part 3 shows how this foundation can be built upon in the life of a local church.

By all indications, the Western Church is facing a crisis of pastoral ministry. Pastoral ministry is on a trajectory of decline despite the fact that God has opened a massive mission field on our doorstep, a mission field that requires workers. Moreover, we continue to export the same model of ministry to the global Church, inviting them to join us in the state of crisis. In Matthew 9:37-38, Jesus invites his disciples to consider the vast harvest of souls God has prepared, a harvest awaiting workers. If we want to see our churches healthy and our neighbours come to know Jesus, we must be interested in God's work to prepare workers for the harvest. This book is an attempt to repair what is broken, to contribute to the repair of pastoral ministry. I am convinced that no problem is more urgent to the church globally than this one, yet I am also convinced the solution to this problem is quite simple. This book argues that our crisis is the result of swapping the biblical vision of pastoral ministry for a poor substitute and are failing to raise disciples in our local church. Part 1 identifies significant reasons why we are in a crisis; Part 2 lays a biblical foundation for rebuilding a biblical model of pastoral ministry; and Part 3 shows how this foundation can be built upon in the life of a local church.

By: J Alexander Rutherford
Imprint: Teleioteti
Dimensions: Height: 229mm, Width: 152mm, Spine: 24mm
Weight: 612g
ISBN: 9781989560792
ISBN 10: 1989560792
Pages: 420
Publication Date: 31 January 2025
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

James Rutherford holds a PhD in Theology from Moore Theological College (thesis: ""Rightly Defining the Son of God: An Examination of the Definition of Chalcedon""). Prior to this, he graduated from Pacific Life Bible College with a Bachelor of Pastoral Leadership and from Regent College with a Master of Arts in Theological Studies, majoring in biblical languages (Hebrew focus), and a Master of Theology (thesis: ""God's Kingdom through His Priest-King: An Analysis of the Book of Samuel in Light of the Davidic Covenant""). Currently, James is working on community outreach in Punchbowl and Greenacre NSW and manages Teleioteti.ca. He is happily married to Nicole and the father of Aliyah, Asher (who has gone to be with his Lord), and Adriel. When not writing, James serves at Riverwood-Punchbowl Anglican Church, enjoys cooking, and enjoys exploring the East Coast of Australia with his family.