3 out of 4 stars
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The pastoral ministry is a Christian calling that can be one of the most difficult to endure. As it involves the gathering of church members and building their faith in Christ. Besides, it is a ministry plagued with trials, heresies, scandals, and it requires great effort to prepare sermons before each service. Pastoring is Not What You Think is a book that describes the life of a pastor, Job. It is a work of fiction. The author, Elijah Oladimeji, is the pastor of an evangelical church, Mind of Christ, in the City of New York. He hopes this book –just like the story of Job in the Bible—strengthens and comforts fellow ministers and those who are at the point of giving up.
Job pastors Church of All Grace and is married to Lorraine, who assists him in the administration of the church. He struggles with issues of a typical pastor of this age—church management, family, and emotions. This point out that pastors are not exempted from the challenges of life.
Just like any other minister, Job answers questions, counsels people, prays for the sick, and he is even called at odd hours during the night. But, his faith remains firm amidst financial difficulties. Sadly, just like the wife of Job in the Bible, his wife, Lorraine only believes what she sees. There is no antagonist in the story, but the conflict of person-against-self since pastor Job talks aloud to himself. This depicts the fact that the battle of the Christian race is in the mind. This I find noteworthy. Although the inner thoughts of Job suggest a state of mental instability, they serve as a tool in discussing some related topics. Side characters include Sister Ann-Barry, whose son was revived, Mr. Reed, the relentless Landlord, and Rodriguez, the illegal immigrant from Mexico.
My understanding on some teachings were deepened, especially those on faith, prosperity, and salvation. For example, it was comforting to see the role faith plays in prayer, and the wholesome definition of prosperity and salvation. In addition, the author justifies why women are uncommon in this ministry. Faith, courage, endurance, and prayerfulness are the themes of the book. The writing style is simple without any theological terms. Most of the events occurred in places where a pastor can mostly be found: in the church, at home, or in the office. As expected, the tone is that of a caring pastor speaking to his congregation yet without sounding too didactic.
I find the story interesting because the plot is simple, and the scenes are engaging, with introductory third-person narration. Moreover, the characters are believable and for this I commend the author. However, there are a couple of grammatical and spelling errors that distracted me while reading. For instance, there are sentences with unduly italicized words on some pages, a misspelt name and some omitted commas on the acknowledgement page. Thus, it is in need of further editing.
Nevertheless, I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars because it is expository and enriching. Because of the errors above, I couldn’t give it 4 stars. Rating it 2 stars would be unfair since I enjoyed reading the book, and if partial points were used for official rating, it would have deserved 3.5 stars. Therefore, I recommend it for pastors, church members, and any other Christian minister who is discouraged. On the other hand, the declaration of Jesus Christ as the Son of God might be offensive to Muslim readers due to differences in belief.
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Pastoring is not what you think
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