Let’s Read: Spurgeon the Pastor: Recovering a Biblical and Theological Vision for Ministry

Monday, 9th January 2023
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Let’s Read: Spurgeon the Pastor: Recovering a Biblical and Theological Vision for Ministry

By Davy Ellison

I have long argued that since Christians are people of the book Christians should be people of books. We should love the written word. This is not to say that every Christian must be reading a mountain of books every year. Rather, Christians should be people who read steadily—whether quickly or slowly—and widely. We should continually renew our mind with both Scripture and written materials that will help us to better understand and apply Scripture (Rom. 12:2; Eph. 4:23).

At the Irish Baptist College we recognise that not everyone is a reader. For this reason, we have established an initiative entitled Let’s Read with the aim of encouraging Christians to read trustworthy books in manageable chunks. Periodically we will invite you to read through a book over a period of months and during that time we will post a monthly reflection on the blog to encourage further contemplation on what is being read.

Our next book is Spurgeon the Pastor: Recovering a Biblical and Theological Vision for Ministry by Geoffrey Chang. In this book Chang attempts to aid his readers in becoming acquainted with Spurgeon the Pastor, as opposed to Spurgeon the Preacher, Spurgeon the Theologian or Spurgeon the Philanthropist. The hope is that in meeting Spurgeon the Pastor we might develop a more robustly biblical vision of ministry. On the final Monday of each month a reflection will be posted on this blog.

For ease of reference here is the proposed schedule:

January: Read the Introduction and Chapters 1–2, pp. 1–72 (reflection posted on Monday 30th January)

February: Read Chapters 3–5, pp. 73–144 (reflection posted on Monday 27th February)

March: Read Chapters 6–7, pp. 145–194 (reflection posted on Monday 27th March)

April: Read Chapters 8–10, pp. 195­–251 (reflection posted on Monday 24th April)

Participants are also invited to share striking quotes or personal reflections from the book on social media using #LetsRead to connect with each other.

Happy Reading!

    Blog Archive

Let’s Read Irish Baptist College Conference (Online) From Intern to Undergraduate (Emily Middleton) Let's Read: The Hole in our Holiness — The Reason for Redemption Baptists and Revival in the Long 18th Century Second Year Placements From Intern to Undergraduate (Josh Brown) Let's Read: The Hole in our Holiness — The What and Why of Holiness Final Year During A Pandemic 2nd Year Placement Experience Friends of the College 2021 Update The Art of Reading More Books Let's Read: The Hole in our Holiness — The Real Possibility of Holiness A Basic Easter Fact The Servant King Podcast Let's Read: The Hole in our Holiness — You Are Holy Third Year Reflection Gospel Guardians: Protecting the Purity of the Gospel for Future Generations Graduation 2021 Book Review: Succeeding at Seminary Let's Read: The Hole in Our Holiness — A Work in Progress Why the Irish Baptist College is Vital to the Health of the Association A Good News Story: The Ministry Partnership Scheme Why Study the Biblical Languages? Profit in Toil: A Short Message on A Level Results Day Let's Read: Small Preaching Recognition Service Report 2021 Sin Forgiven: Nourishment for Life and Joy for Living Let’s Read: Small Preaching—The Character of the Preacher Commencement Service Report Placement Friends of the College Update God Rejoices over His People: A Meditation on Zephaniah 3:17 Let’s Read: Small Preaching—Constructing the Sermon Evangelism Teams: Newcastle and Brannockstown Evangelism Teams: Stonepark and North Belfast Christian Fellowship First Year Reflections (Reuben and Andrew) Some New Books Let’s Read: Small Preaching—The Craft of Preaching Let's Read: Small Preaching—What is God Saying? A Christmas Reflection on John 1 - ‘The coming of the light’ Christmas Reflection on John 1 - ‘Life, Light & Glory’
Time to read Genesis...again Friends of the College - January 2020 Friends of the College - January 2020 Finances Tribute to Marion Craig The Resilient Pastor: Surviving & Thriving in Ministry Just a Blow-in? What is new on the shelves at IBC? Friends of the College - February 2020 Four Reasons to Study Theology Academically From Spain to Moira Testimonial Financial Update Friends of the College – March 2020 Irish Baptist Historical Society: The Mayflower Thomas Patient: the Father of the Irish Baptist Church Testimonials The Pastors’ Conference: An Encouraging Privilege Testimonials (part-time studies) In the worst of times: COVID-19 and the Book of Ruth Friends of the College - April 2020 The Long Wait: Victory Delayed Testimonials - Preparation for Ministry and Evening Classes The Leadership Podcast Testimonials - Ladies Study Fellowship The Leadership Podcast (part 2) Friends of the College - May 2020 Reflections from the Student Chairman Why do we teach the Old Testament? Reflections on first year at IBC Friends of the College - June 2020 Why do we teach Romans? IBC Placement Is Church History a Thing of the Past? Friends of the College - July 2020 Friends of the College – August 2020 Friends of the College September 2020 Recognition and Graduation Service Introducing the Irish Baptist College’s New Logo Commencement Service Friends of the College - October 2020 Filled with the Spirit: Soundings in Luke’s Theology of the Holy Spirit The Famous Five: The Abiding Relevance of the Solas of the Reformation Friends of the College - November 2020 The Importance of Theological Training in Fulfilling the Great Commission First Year Reflections — Tim Houston Singing: The Place of Theology in Corporate Worship New Library Books Friends of the College – Unite to Pray – December Christmas Reflections
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