|
Commendations:
In this little volume, Brian helps us to think straightforwardly and faithfully about God’s truth and God’s people. His advice is as sound as it is simple. Some parts of this may be about matters you’ve already figured out. But isn’t it better to be told something twice, than not at all? Let Brian’s be that reinforcing voice. And don’t be surprised if you read some things that you hadn’t thought of before. Read this book, and let Brian help you in helping others.
—Mark Dever, Senior Pastor, Capitol Hill Baptist Church, Washington, DC
“What do pastors do when visiting the sick? Such visits are crucial both eternally and pastorally. Brian Croft has written a marvelous piece to assist us. His work is theologically grounded, gospel centered, and full of practical wisdom. I recommend it enthusiastically.”
—Thomas R. Schreiner, James Buchanan Harrison Professor of New Testament Interpretation, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Teaching Pastor, Clifton Baptist Church
“I read Brian Croft’s Visit the Sick with glad thanksgiving! Visitation is a timely and much-needed topic for pastors and Christians in our day. And Croft addresses it with sound thinking and very helpful suggestions. Visiting the Sick sets out to provide sensitive, God-honoring, and gospel-driven counsel to pastors and Christians. And it hits the mark. If you’re like me, someone who feels ill-equipped to say the right words or do the right things at someone’s sick bed, you’ll delight in this book and give God great praise for moving Brian Croft to write it. May the Lord be pleased to move us to visit our people and by that means awaken legions!”
—Thabiti Anyabwile, Senior Pastor, First Baptist Church, Grand Cayman Island, Author, The Faithful Preacher
“Every pastor—and many other church leaders as well—will visit the sick. Some feel that their visits are fruitful times of ministry; others feel very awkward. Very, very few, however, have the intuitive people skills and the pastoral expertise to do this successfully without some training. Brian Croft’s book provides concise, wise, and practical instruction for this important aspect of ministry. Read it for yourself, study it as a staff, or use it as a training resource for all those in your church who regularly visit the sick. It can help turn a routine responsibility into a time of effective ministry.”
—Donald Whitney, Associate Professor of Biblical Spirituality, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, President, The Center of Biblical Spirituality, Author, Spiritual Disciplines of the Christian Life
“Visiting the Sick is an excellent and much needed resource today when the actual practice of 'shepherding souls' is so often neglected. Many younger pastors (and not so young ones as well) have never received the sort of very practical guidance which Brian Croft gives in this book. This book has the potential to be a great blessing to pastors and those they shepherd. It will now be a recommended text in my Pastoral Ministries class and I heartily commend it to others.”
—Ray Van Neste, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Christian Studies, Director, R. C. Ryan Center for Biblical Studies, Union University, Elder, Cornerstone Community Church
“One of the primary reasons so many Christians fail to heed Jesus' instruction to visit the sick is that they feel ill-prepared. What should I say? How long should I stay? Why should I go? What should I pray? What if the person is dying? What if they're not a Christian? Those are just a few of the many apprehensions people have about visiting the sick. In this very readable book, Brian Croft provides us with practical assistance that should eliminate feelings of inadequacy and motivate the reader to fulfill Christ's commission, ‘I was sick and you visited me.’ A Biblically-based, highly practical manual for Christian care givers, this insightful book can be read in just a few minutes but its down-to-earth counsel will equip you to confidently visit the sick for years to come.”
—Bob Russell, Former Senior Pastor, Southeast Christian Church, Louisville, KY
“One of the most vital aspects of pastoral ministry is seizing teachable moments in which the gospel of Christ can have its maximum impact. Times of suffering from sickness have the power to prepare the heart for the seed of the word as few other things can. Brian Croft has done an excellent job of showing how the pastor can make the word of God central in his ministry to the sick and dying. He does so with specific and practical counsel, and with a words saturated with Scripture. I heartily commend this work as a benefit to the fruitful ministry of the gospel.”
—Dr. Andrew Davis, Senior Pastor, First Baptist Church, Durham, NC, Author, An Approach To Extended Memorization of Scripture
“Brian Croft has served us all well in providing a succinct, thoughtful training manual for hospital visitation. Church member, let this book equip you to become more useful to those in your church who are ailing. Young pastor, gain from Brian’s practical wisdom. Let him train you to love and serve your congregation in a way that will adorn your preaching (and help you avoid awkward mistakes). Seasoned pastor, let this book remind you of the privilege it is to serve and encourage the sick in a fallen world. I plan to read it together with our elders, and hope to make it available to our congregation as an equipping tool.”
—Paul Alexander, Senior Pastor, Fox Valley Bible Church, St. Charles, IL, Co-author, The Deliberate Church
“Brian has given us a practical and theological guide to caring for our congregations. It is a must read for those interested in a theology for visiting the sick.”
—Dr. George D. Barnett, Ministry Resource Consultant, Georgia Baptist Convention
Of particular usefulness is Brian Croft's Visit the Sick: Ministering God's Grace in Times of Illness (Day One Publications) - an invaluable and practical help to everyone who visits the sick (and that just about includes all of us).
—Derek Thomas, Jackson Mississippi, "Reformation21."
|
UK Tel: +(44) 01568 613740
