To Be A Good and Faithful Servant

Brief Description

In To Be a Good and Faithful Servant, Cecil Sherman gives his reader a truly rare treat: a handbook of the “best practices” of effective leadership delivered with his signature wit, wisdom, and faithfulness to the gospel and way of Christ. He developed his recipe for growing churches—without forgetting along the way to grow his own family and maintain his Christian character—over the span of a career marked by prophetic truth-telling, struggle, controversy and outstanding success. To Be a Good and Faithful Servant offers a window into how one pastor navigated the many daily challenges and opportunities of ministerial life and shares that wisdom with church leaders wherever they are in life—whether serving as lay leaders or as ministers just out of seminary, midway through a career, or seeking renewal after many years of service.

About the Author

Cecil Sherman most recently served as visiting professor of pastoral ministries at the Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond. During his long career, Dr. Sherman served pastorates in North Carolina, Georgia, New Jersey, and Texas and was very active in church life and community service.

Table of Contents

Foreword by Eugenia Sherman Brown
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Part 1: Preparing for Ministry
Chapter 1: Frustrations of a Young Pastor
Chapter 2: Difficulties of the Job
Chapter 3: Pitfalls of the Calling
Chapter 4: Meeting the Pastor Search Committee
Chapter 5: The Purpose of a Church
Chapter 6: The Necessity of Trust (Read)
Part 2: Particulars of the Job
Chapter 7: Working with Difficult People
Chapter 8: Leading Successfully
Chapter 9: Giving Direction to Staff
Chapter 10: Supporting a Budget
Chapter 11: Addressing Church Politics
Chapter 12: Officiating a Wedding
Chapter 13: Conducting a Funeral
Chapter 14: Teaching Your People
Chapter 15: Preaching to Your People
Chapter 16: Handling Personal Finances
Chapter 17: Taking Care of What Matters
Afterword by Bill Sherman
Appendices
Appendix 1: Wedding Rehearsal Guide
Appendix 2: Sample Wedding Ceremony
Appendix 3: Sample Memorial Services
Appendix 4: Sample Bible Teaching Curriculum