BOOK REVIEW
“The Unhurried Pastor: Redefining Productivity for a More Sustainable Ministry”
By Brian Croft and Ronnie Martin
Published by The Good Book Company, 2024
I started and finished this book over the course of two evenings. I am not a fast reader by any metric, but I just couldn’t put this one down. It probably didn’t hurt that I also had just began a six-week sabbatical, the purpose of which is for me and my family to find some much-needed rest from ministry and sweet refreshment in the Lord. Since my sabbatical started I have been actively focused on trying to get “unhurried” (is that a real word?), so finding a book entitled The Unhurried Pastor was like a thirsty man finding a sign for water.
The real question though was whether this book would be more than just a great title. Does the sign actually point people to real, thirst-quenching water? Do Brian Croft and Ronnie Martin actually, in The Unhurried Pastor, lead readers/pastors deeper into the unhurried ministry?
Before they dive in to the deep stuff, Croft and Martin lay out their thesis for the book, and it goes like this: to redefine how the work of a pastor is done so that it will lead to joy and longevity for the pastor.[1] In the pages that follow, in an attempt to fulfill that statement, they work through eleven different subjects, most of which are spiritual practices, and a few that one might call spiritual traits or attitudes (i.e. hopefulness, humility, etc.). These eleven are the keys. Croft and Martin believe sincerely, as comes through in their writing, that wholeheartedly engaging with and living out these eleven practices and traits are what will inevitably lead pastors to that joy and longevity that so often seems to be missing from pastoral work.
As far as I can tell, all that Croft and Martin are doing in these eleven chapters is reminding pastors of what matters. They are helping re-prioritize. Through personal pastoral stories (which are powerfully told), together with the Scriptures, they lead readers into seeing what the pastoral life (if not simply the Christian life) should be consumed with, and what it has unfortunately become consumed with in the name of productivity. The chapters are so simple. That’s what makes for a quick read. And yet they are deeply convicting and hope-giving, which is why it should probably be a slow read.
I have got to say, it is a bold move to put the word redefine in the thesis of your book. After so many centuries of pastoral work being done and so many books having been written about it, are Croft and Martin really the ones who are going to redefine it or even a piece of it? It sounds crazy, but according to their own words, that is what they set out to do. Now here is the even crazier thing: I think they did it. At the very least, for me, they contributed something significant, probably much to the chagrin of some in my congregation, to the redefining of my pastoral work. I say contributed because some of that redefining in my life and ministry began with the writings of Eugene Peterson, and has now been taking further by The Unhurried Pastor.
My only grievance with the book, I wish that they had included more Eugene Peterson in it! Perhaps because Peterson has been so impactful in my own understanding of pastoral work, I do wish he had come up more. Of course it is noted in the introduction what an inspiration he was to the project, and that inspiration and influence is obvious throughout all of the pages. But I went in expecting his writings to pop up on more pages. Obviously though, I realize that this is an unfair criticism. If I wanted to read Eugene Peterson, then I should go and read Eugene Peterson.
All in all, this was a great read. For pastors, for anyone in vocational ministry, and even for Christians outside of it, I cannot recommend this book enough. When my sabbatical began, I was aware of the need for re-prioritizing. My pastoral life has not always (and especially lately) been sustainable and honestly not always too joyful either. What I was unaware of was has how exactly to re-prioritize it. The Unhurried Pastor has been a gift to my soul in this way, and it came right at my time of greatest need. Croft and Martin have blessed me beyond on measure, or rather, the Lord through them.
[1] Brian Croft and Ronnie Martin, The Unhurried Pastor: Redefining Productivity for a More Sustainable Ministry (The Good Book Company: Charlotte, 2024), 13.