Spurgeon the Pastor: Recovering a Biblical and Theological Vision for Ministry

by Geoffrey Chang

Overview

How would you get more than 5,000 people to show up at your church?
 
Almost every pastor feels the pressure to get people in the doors. More people means more success, more stability, and more godly influence, right? Often, in their zeal for fruit and growth, pastors and church leaders adopt worldly mechanisms for church growth that end up undermining the very call God has given them.
 
Charles Spurgeon, the Prince of Preachers, was a pastor to well over 5,000 people in a day long before "mega-churches" were the norm. But you might be surprised to know that Spurgeon's vision for ministry was not pragmatic. He did not borrow "best practices" from the business leaders of his day. Rather, his ministry vision was decidedly, staunchly biblical and theological in nature—and it was a ministry vision we ought to adopt more than a century later.
 
In Spurgeon the Pastor, Geoff Chang, director of the Spurgeon Library at Midwestern Seminary, shows how Spurgeon models a theological vision of ministry in preaching, baptism and the Lord's supper, meaningful church membership, biblical church leadership, leadership development, and more.
 
Don’t get caught up in worldly methods to pursue ministry growth. Follow the example of the Prince of Preachers, and entrust your ministry to the sovereignty of the Prince of Peace.
 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781087747842
Publisher:	B&H Publishing Group
Publication date:	08/09/2022
Pages:	272
Sales rank:	611,929
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.80(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Geoffrey Chang (PhD, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary) is assistant professor of church history and historical theology and the curator of the Spurgeon Library at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.
 

Table of Contents

Abbreviations ix

Introduction: Another Forgotten Spurgeon 1

1 The Thermopylae of the Church: Preaching 11

2 The Very Gate of Heaven: Church Gatherings 43

3 Tokens of Unity: Baptism and the Lord's Supper 73

4 A Hedging and Fencing: Regenerate Church Membership 99

5 Watching over the Church: Meaningful Church Membership 123

6 The Church's Valiant Sons: Elders and Deacons 145

7 This Most Blessed Meeting: Congregationalism 173

8 A Working Church: The Ministry of the Church 195

9 The Church Aggressive: Pastoral Training and Church Planting 221

10 Conclusion: The Faithful Pastor and His Church 247

Acknowledgments 253

Works Cited 255