The Pastor As Minor Poet: Texts and Subtexts in the Ministerial Life (Calvin Institute of Christian Worship Liturgical Studies) (Paperback)

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Key Phrases: parish poet, sacred subtext, major poetry, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, New York (more...)

Product Details

• Paperback: 138 pages
• Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company (December 15, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802829627
• ISBN-13: 978-0802829627
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #132,835 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding Work on Pastoral Theology, January 16, 2009

By	Aldhelm of Malmsbury "mam5032" (Charlotte, NC) - See all my reviews

Craig Barnes' new work, The Pastor as Minor Poet, says things that all pastors know, experientially and intuitively, but are afraid to say out loud! He pries open the interior life of the pastor as well as the life of the 21st century North American congregation. And the entrails of both seemed inflamed and in need of cure. The cure, for Dr. Barnes, is in the Word of God, the redemptive life of Jesus Christ, offered through "portals" from Scripture. Through these portals the pastor, the Minor Poet, seeks the cure. He connects the story of his life and the people' lives to the story of Christ's life as told, inspired by God, by the Major Poets, the Bibles' writers. Craig Barnes offers a hope and a vision for ministry that is at once vocationally satisfying and Scripturally faithful. I read it and smiled as I found the common places of ministry shared. I then repented as I saw where I had taken wrong approaches in treating the wounds of the flock of Christ. Sometimes I even paused and asked for courage to go on. In the end, I then thanked God for the calling to speak forth the Major Poets' words into this oftentimes dreary, verse-less world. I have been blessed by Barnes' books in the past, but I like this one the best. It is now a required reading for my students in pastoral theology class.

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Preacher - Excellent Pastor - Excellent Writer, July 20, 2009

By	Norman Dalton (Fernandina Beach, FL United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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I've known Craig Barnes as an excellent preacher, holding audiences at multi-day conferences spellbound for 45 minutes or more each time he spoke. He now teaches pastors the art of pastoral leadership while continuing to serve as preaching pastor of one of the great Presbyterian churches in the United States. He practices what he teaches and preaches. This is a book for pastors about pastoring - not so much about pastoral skills as about the pastor as person in the daily work of pastoring. He writes (as he preaches) with great humor and wit, but never for its own sake. His stories focus his point making it real in the pastor's life. Dr. Barnes lets us in on his very human feelings about difficult parishioners, but he never leaves it at that. The "minor poet" is enabled to artfully move beyond personal feelings to healing relationships. This book will encourage every pastor. It is highly recommended as a gift to the pastor you love.

5.0 out of 5 stars Thoughtful, engaging, creative work, July 2, 2009

By	Clergy Girl (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews

Clearly based in real parish work, Barnes gives a thoughtful and creative image of the pastoral task. Of all the descriptions of pastoral work available out there (CEO, leader, shepherd, teacher, administrator, therapist, theologian, etc.), this is the only one I have found which simultaneously knows the deep frustrations and even deeper joys of pastoral work, and gives a image which can withstand them both. I would highly recommend this for any pastor, particularly those newly ordained or seeking a lasting and powerful understanding of the task.