THE PERFECT PASTOR? (ISBN 1602666563)

Perfect Pastors!:
Funny I remember talking to the author before this book was in the works. I told him I was leaning towards the ministry and he said "I would not wish this on another person." I assume he was in deep research for the book at that time. I talked to him after he wrote the book and he is a new man... Years aftert the first conversation as I read this book after I made the decision to study for to be a pastor I am glad I read it. This book made me mad, made me yell and made decide there is no way I'd ever become a preacher. It also makes me laugh made my heart sing, my soul cry out in happiness and help me solidify my original decision to be a minister. It also helped know why it was I wanted to be a Pastor. This might be one of the best books for a person thinking about entering into the call who don't need the clinical list of question but need to see how it can be to be a pastor. This book not only tells a story of a fictional pastor's trials but his victories and his path to become a great not `perfect pastor'. Scripturally sound. Pray fully delivered. Well written. Fun to read and the most educational down to earth book I have read on entering into and growing within the ministry. This book should be required reading by every person investigating the call. I read many books and have met many authors. Most disappoint as they write only from an educated investigated researched place for the money. But a few write from all those things but also write from the heart and D Thomas my friend I call Don is one who live from his heart. The man who taught me my first scripture (Hebrews 4:12) and gave me my only bible I ever had most of my adult life. Don is for real, a true leader, a true writer a true Christian a true Pastor. Thanks Don for a great Book!

Might Make You Feel Better:
The Perfect Pastor? is a well-written exploration of a pastor's adventures in a troubled church. Though a bit didactic at times, it provides a realistic day-to-day exploration of the life of an individual in professional church leadership. For many who are professional church leaders the book will prove encouraging simply by allowing them to compare the protagonist's struggles with their own: They will likely find their struggles light in comparison. For those not in professional church leadership, this book will certainly help them identify and understand some of the interpersonal struggles and challenges faced by anyone involved in shepherding a church. A great read with excellent appendices!

Helpful resource:
Pastors are people too. That's the message of D. Thomas Owsley's book, The Perfect Pastor? (Understanding and Relating to the Life and Work of a Pastor). The very nature of the position means that people often expect quite a bit of a pastor. But what they expect might have nothing to do with what the Bible says a pastor should be or do and much more to do with people's (accurate or not) preconceived notions regarding the office. Those entering the pastorate also often have their own ideas of what the job will be like. Entering into the reality can be like having a bucket of cold water thrown at you. Owsley's goal in this book is to help congregants understand what it is a pastor does all week (and why it's important) and to help new pastors, or those thinking of pursuing such a position, get a more realistic picture of what might be in store for them. No Perfect Pastor? is essentially three books in one. The overall form of the book is a story -- that of a pastor, Dan, who loves what he does, but who struggles with a few members in his congregation who, through money and influence, attempt to force their own agenda upon the church. Within this overarching story is a guidebook, or textbook, that explores such things as the Biblical qualifications of a leader; the roles of the pastor, elders, and members of the church and how they work together; and the scope of a pastor's responsibilities and duties within the church. And at the end of the book is a series of appendices (A - S! I've never seen so many appendices in a book!) that essentially make up a resource handbook for a pastor or the leadership in a church. The appendices include such things as recommended questions that a pastoral search committee should ask of their candidates, a sermon evaluation form, how a congregation can work together to make corporate decisions and how to care and support your pastor. I found the overall story to be interesting, particularly because this story was written by, and somewhat follows the life of, the new pastor of our church. Though he'd mentioned some of his experiences as he was candidating with us and as we got to know him after calling him to be our pastor, reading them in a story form and seeing not only what was happening in his previous congregations, but also getting a sense of his thought processes as he dealt with these issues, was instructive as well as indicative of the kind of man he is. He openly admits that he didn't always deal well with the situations he was put in. He struggled with wanting to simply avoid the problems and the people who were causing them. But in the end he realized that he had to cop to his own faults, not just recognizing them but admitting them to those he had wronged. And he needed to seek reconciliation. The story is a good way to get a sense of the trials and tribulations of a pastor as well as to get a sense of a pastor's joys and encouragements. The guidebook, or textbook, part of the book was interspersed within the overall story. I personally found these parts to be rather arduous to get through, probably because I've studied a lot of these topics quite a bit in the past. (Including quite recently as we prepared as a pastoral search committee to begin our search for a new pastor.) However, for someone who hasn't studied these topics, this part of each story would be a good chance to slow down and explore what the Bible says about the role of leadership within the church. I should add that Owsley doesn't just assume that pastors are good and it's the congregants who cause troubles. He clearly describes when a pastor, or another person in church leadership, has overstepped or made a misstep in their leadership role. And through the story he describes steps that can and should be taken to deal with a person in leadership who is either not living up to their role as a leader or who is abusing their leadership position. The appendices are excellent and a fantastic resource not only for those in leadership in a church (or other religious organization) but also helpful for "plain old" members. Obviously, this book isn't going to appeal to people who aren't church goers. But for anyone that is involved in a church (particularly a Christian church), this book is a good resource both for leaders and congregants. Though Owsley speaks often from the point of view of his own denomination, he always makes it clear when he is doing that. So, though there are differences in the form and format of leadership in various denominations, I think this book will still cross denominational boundaries without too much trouble.

Great book for sheep and shepherds alike.:
The book is drawn from the collected true-to-life experiences of a pastor and his family in a conservative denomination. What Dr. Owsley provides is a revealing look at the day-to-day struggle of a pastor who seeks the best for his family and congregation but must overcome prejudice, legalism and other un-Christian behavior from his fellow elders and congregants. One of the most humbling aspects of the book, apart from the appalling behavior of the 'christians' under the pastor's care is the fact that the pastor must, in counseling an intern warn him about the dangers of the ministry. This book is excellent for sheep as well as shepherds and I recommend it to both ministers and their flocks to provide insight into the proper care and feeding of a pastor. I too have learned much from Dr. Owsley, both from this book and from our friendship, and found this book helpful in my walk as a believer and as one under the authority of a pastor.

An eye-opener for pastors and their true encouragers:
If the fact of conflict in the local church makes you uneasy, don't pick up this book. But if you truly care about your church, and if you intend to be a source of substantive encouragement to your pastor, The Perfect Pastor? is essential reading. I know because I am a pastor who was engulfed by some of the same conflicts portrayed in these pages. My wife and I read this book to each other aloud, and it helped us endure and gave us courage to persevere in ministry. The Perfect Pastor? is a compilation of the many details of a pastor's work held together by a narrative and supplemented with copious practical appendices and forms. The book examines not merely the tasks of pastoral work but the complex number of relationships which pastors must juggle within the context of serving as preacher, shepherd, and ministry organizer to his congregation. The author relates a variety of real ministry circumstances which would make an aspiring pastor eager to get started, and other true situations which would drive a sane man away from considering such a career. In the midst of describing how a minister's work affects himself, his family, his leaders, his followers, his admirers and his detractors, the author sets forth the work of pastoring by largely focusing on the character qualities of the pastor himself, his church officers, and the young disciples who all fall under his care. Some of the narrative seems too extreme to be true, except that the situations and people involved are taken from true-life experiences of the author and other real pastors. While purportedly written for an audience of lay people, this book could prove to be discouraging for the uninitiated and timid. Nevertheless, for those who have actually experienced the joys and tribulations of pastoral service to the kingdom of God, The Perfect Pastor? is a source of encouragement and practical application.