Review: The Pastor’s Family: Shepherding Your Family Through the Challenges of Pastoral Ministry

The Pastor’s Family: Shepherding Your Family through the Challenges of Pastoral Ministry by Brian Croft
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I wasn’t sure how the tag team effort was going to work out in this book. However, it worked well. I appreciated reading both perspectives on the same subject. When it comes to books on the home, they vary on their helpfulness. The Bible does give sufficient instruction for us in our homes, but the market is crowded by a lot of extrapolation and thrice-removed opinions about the Bible actually requires of us. We have to sift the counsel we receive. Are we having burdens heaped upon us like an overloaded mule, or are we receiving counsel from someone with a healthy dose of what you call horse sense?

I think Croft is doing the latter in this book, which makes it a helpful book. He does deal with texts and calls out some of the neglect pastors can be guilty of, which is sinful. He rightly calls us to repentance in these. He also gives wise counsel that we should receive with discernment. For instance, he encourages a father to engage in one-on-one discipleship of his children. He may not be in chapter and verse territory, but he is giving good counsel.

I also appreciated how he dealt openly with the abysmal family legacies of some of the “heroes” of the faith that exalt so much. I was personally disappointed a few years ago reading about the marriage and home life of George Whitefield. Whitefield is one of the men Croft writes about. We need to be cautious is vaunting the men of the past. There are both good and bad examples in history. Can we really call a man “successful” in ministry who neglected his family all the while?

This is a great book for pastors and pastors’ wives.

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