Commendations: We live in an individualistic world where subjective and private experiences are often thought to be beyond contradiction. If someone claims that he is called to ministry, who are we to doubt it? Brian Croft demonstrates, however, that an internal call to ministry must be matched by an external call. The people of God, the church of Jesus Christ, should play a major role in assessing whether someone is called to ministry. Croft’s book is biblically grounded and full of wise pastoral advice. I commend it enthusiastically.
—Thomas R. Schreiner, James Buchanan Harrison, Professor of New Testament Interpretation, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, USA
Brian Croft loves the Savior, and he loves the church. That comes through in every page of this book. And every page of this book offers cogent, biblical, and useful instruction for this most necessary of responsibilities in the local church: testing, training, affirming, and sending workers into the ministry. For those of us who care that the harvest is plentiful and want the Lord of the harvest to send workers, this book helps us to be sure the workers are worth their wages. Croft tells us what to look for, and when we find it, how to cultivate it.
—Thabiti Anyabwile, Senior Pastor, First Baptist Church of Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands, and author, ‘What Is a Healthy Church Member?’
The church possesses a unique responsibility to identify leaders among God’s people and equip them for ministry among all peoples. As the Holy Spirit sets men apart for ministry, the local community of faith is accountable to God for training them up and sending them out in a way that glorifies Christ. I am thankful to Brian Croft for this immensely helpful, thoroughly biblical, and extremely practical resource that will serve those called by God, their pastors, and their churches well.
—David Platt, Senior Pastor, The Church at Brook Hills, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
Brian Croft provides clear, practical teaching about the role of the local church regarding men who sense a call to vocational ministry. This process used to be referred to as a church’s ongoing ministry of “calling out the called.” Pastor Croft has led his church to develop an intentional approach to evaluating a man’s sense of call, an approach that is as effective as that of almost any church I know. If you have responsibilities of spiritual leadership in your local church, you’ll want to get this book, for you’ll find it helpful every time a man indicates that he senses God’s call to vocational ministry.
—Donald Whitney, Associate Professor of Biblical Spirituality and former Director of Applied Ministry, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, USA
Filled with sound theology and practical wisdom, this well-organized guide will fill a gap on pastors’ bookshelves. This is the resource that many churches and ministers have long needed to help them fulfill their God-given roles in evaluating those who consider themselves called to the ministry. One can only imagine the blessing for the Lord’s church as local congregations implement the methods described in this necessary little book.
—Jackson Boyett, Pastor, Dayspring Chapel, Austin, Texas, and Chairman of the Board, To Every Tribe Ministries, USA
When Paul wrote to the Galatians he expected those churches to be able to discern whether the true gospel was being preached or whether what they were hearing was another (no-)gospel—even if the preacher was Paul himself or an angel from heaven! This book calls churches to take up responsibilities Paul expected them to exercise, and pastors to do the kind of work Paul charged Timothy and Titus to do. May the Lord use it to equip pastors and congregations to raise up those whom the Holy Spirit will make overseers, pastors, and elders for the good of God’s people and the glory of his name.
—Jim Hamilton, Associate Professor of Biblical Theology, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and Senior Pastor, Kenwood Baptist Church, Louisville, Kentucky, USA
Brian’s first book, Visit the Sick, is a gift to pastors and local churches alike. Theologically rich and skillful in equipping, it has served myself and the pastors I labor alongside. In Test, Train, Affirm & Send into Ministry, Brian delivers again. Here’s much-needed biblical discernment for ordinary pastors (like myself). Pastor, read it to benefit your soul. Read it to equip your church. Read it to be amazed that you serve the Chief Shepherd.
—Brian Chesemore, Pastor of Family Life Covenant Life Church, Gaithersburg, Maryland, USA
Brian Croft’s book, Test, Train, Affirm & Send into Ministry, provides an alternate opinion to the pervasive concept of “calling” into the ministry. Croft highlights the necessity of the church’s responsibility to execute the external call to or affirm individuals who claim a personal divine draw to the ministry. This perspective undermines the highly individualistic, exclusive, almost Gnostic sense of call that people speak about today and which is automatically considered above evaluation or critique from anyone, let alone the local church. This book will start lots of conversations and change some minds about how we as the body of Christ, particularly in the Low Church tradition, affirm the pastoral ministry of individuals. Thank you, Pastor Croft, for contributing to this important conversation!
—D. Jeffrey Mooney, Senior Pastor, First Baptist Church, Norco, California, and Assistant Professor of Old Testament Interpretation and Theology, California Baptist University, USA
As a pastor and pastoral-ministries instructor, I greatly enjoyed this work! What Brian Croft has written will help pastors, churches, seminary professors and students include an important but often missed step in a man’s journey from a mysterious call to the ministry to a local congregation’s call of that man to a pastorate. Brian’s challenge rightly returns the responsibility of laying hands on a pastoral candidate from the academy to the local congregation and its elders, while also calling church leaders to recover a proper concept of “no man suddenly” within the affirmation process—one that is gospel-promoting in its intentionality, discernment, investments, and length. Vocational and lay leaders should keep this work close at hand when a man professes an inward call to ministry. May its truths help to strengthen the body of Christ with biblically based appointments of God-fearing, Spirit-called, elder-trained, and church-affirmed shepherds of the flock of God.
—Eric C. Redmond, Senior Pastor, Reformation Alive Baptist Church, Temple Hills, and Assistant Professor of Bible and Theology and of Pastoral Ministries, Washington Bible College, Lanham, Maryland, USA
The importance of pastoral affirmation cannot be overstated. Much of the health of our local churches rises and falls on such a weighty matter. Brian Croft has helpfully heralded a call to local churches to return to the ownership of pastoral discipleship. This work will offer great clarity where much confusion has been found in recent years.
—Eric Bancroft, Senior Pastor, Castleview Baptist Church, Indianapolis, Indiana, and Former Adjunct Professor, The Master’s College, USA
In this new and important book, Brian Croft presents a bold and biblical understanding of the call to ministry. Along the way, Brian clarifies many issues of contemporary confusion, and his commitment to the local church ensures that his understanding of the call to ministry is never severed from the context of God’s people. Few books are more timely than this one, and I am thankful to Brian Croft for his faithful and careful consideration of the call to ministry.
—R. Albert Mohler, Jr., President, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary |
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