|
| The Life and Work of a Priest | 
 enlarge | Author: John Pritchard
Publisher: SPCK Publishing
Category: Book
List Price: £9.99
Buy New: £4.23
You Save: £5.76 (58%)
New (22) from £4.23
Avg. Customer Rating:  2 reviews
Sales Rank: 7338
Media: Paperback
Pages: 164
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.6
ISBN: 0281057486
Dewey Decimal Number: 282
EAN: 9780281057481
ASIN: 0281057486
Publication Date: June 21, 2007
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
|
| Similar Items:
|
| Customer Reviews:
 Amen! October 2, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Amen to what the last reviewer said! In a nutshell - this is an easy to read and relate to book, sharing the inside life of an Anglican vicar. If you are contemplating the calling on your life into ministry, then this is a most excellent starting point!
 Elegant, homely guide to priesthood today January 21, 2008
38 out of 38 found this review helpful
This little book is full of wisdom about the life and work of a priest, (essentially one in the Church of England) in all sorts of areas. It has short, lucid chapters on a range of areas, including preaching, personal organisation, attentive listening, theological reflection, prayer etc..
What it doesn't do is come up with a 'silver bullet' answer, finding the core around which people can define priesthood.
Rather, what Pritchard does is balance an essentially ontological understanding of priesthood (i.e. a priest is something a person is, rather than a job that a person does) with a high view of all the functional things vicars in particular are asked to do.
For example, the paperwork on your desk is not mindless 'red tape' to be scorned: rather, it should be seen as "pastoral work", as invariably each bit of paper is a request/ a need from a particular person: "what you do to the least of these bits of paper, you do to me".
The consequence is that he never privileges one aspect of ministry over another on the basis that one of the two is actually far more important.
Priests should be able to read the signs of the times AND make the worship they lead accessible to newcomers AND go on retreat once a year AND be pastoral ministers who listen "not just to the bassline of the conversation but also the melody" AND collaborate ecumenically AND look for joined up projects with government AND work together with the laity AND keep up with theological developments AND prioritise their family life AND allow outside interests to flourish AND limit themselves to a 50 hour week.
Even just listing those necessary attributes can make a priest feel a bit overwhelmed. There is a weakness to the lack of prioritisation: the task remains endless.
And yet...
this book doesn't feel overwhelming when you read it. There is a generosity at its heart, and a homeliness to his expressions (even when there's a depth of theology behind them) that makes it highly readable, and supportive.
It's made me reconsider my ministry, and it's the book I would now recommend for reading first, by anyone considering ordination as a priest in the Church of England (ahead of say, Michael Ramsey's "The Christian Priest Today" or Steve Croft's "Ministry in Three Dimensions").
It's realistic, but also wise. Above all, it rings true.
|
|
|
Learn how to have your own
Amazon Shop
Travel Maps and Guides
zeugma
| | Holiday Travel |
alpharooms.com for cheap holiday deals in spain and worldwide
Disneyland Paris for a great family holiday or short break.
Holday Cottages throughout Scotland, England, Wales, Ireland and France with Cottages4you
Hilton - need we say more, you will find Hilton Hotels in most areas throughout Britain, in cities and in the countryside.
Don't forget Travel Insurance
Airport Parking
|
|
|
|
