by Steven Croft
Steven Croft is currently well known for his work in fresh expressions, but he's also penned a number of extremely helpful books, including Transforming Communities which I loved...
This book is about ministry and contains some very helpful wisdom - which I wish I had read back in 1999 when this was published. It's a great statement of vision about ordained ministry in the local church and really should be a "must read" for all clergy.
His central message is that ministry should always be seen in three dimensions, following the pattern of the traditional three-fold ministry: diakonia, presbyteral ministry and episcope. He explores each in depth and successfully weaves them together, suggesting that all three are needed in the local church in one form or another. Ministers need a "portfolio approach" which adopts different aspects of these callings at different times and in different ways.
While I loved the book, I was disappointed by the focus on individual, ordained ministry. Although Steven Croft talks about lay people and does say a lot about how the minister might share their ministry with others, I felt that this book ultimately stops short of delivering a coherent vision for a fully collaborative local church. It was helpful, but my gut feeling is we need more...
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