The Pastor as Minor Poet: Texts and Subtexts in the Ministerial Life (Calvin Institute of Christian Worship Liturgical Studies) Paperback – December 30, 2008

Purchased this book for a seminary class. Loved it so much I bought a second copy and gifted it to my pastor.

In my perfect world the kinds of books ministry majors in Bible colleges and seminaries would read are exemplified by this offering by Barnes. Instead of the corporate style leadership models and the slick gimmicking of church growth seminars, future pastors would soak in views of pastoring that begin and end with biblical influences and remain solidly against the reigning cultural models. Barnes has written such a book.The goal, it seems, is to clarify a confusion pastors live with right now - what it means to be a pastor. It seems to be a great problem if men and women are entering professions they can't properly or deeply define, but I think he is right. We have simply let the role of pastor be defined for us in recent decades and we need to work to recover its true meaning.The image Barnes uses to control the book is that of pastor as a "minor poet." Major poets are the larger-than-life biblical and historical figures who change almost everything, but the vast majority of us fit into the "minor poet" role as we work on translating the truths of God into a fuzzy and broken world. All in all, I think the metaphor is a helpful one. From time to time it seems a bit stretched, but it really comes home in some of the final chapters as Barnes uses T.S. Elliot's "The Three Voices of Poetry" to help define the pastoral vocation. I was surprised at how helpful that rubric was.The book is short but important. If you are a pastor, I challenge you to pick up this book and others like it to re-ground your vocation and break away from the definitions placed on you from the outside. If you know someone wanting to be a pastor, give them this book and see how it strikes them. I found it encouraging, helpful and needful at the same time.

This is not a practical handbook as much as it is about the art of being an effective pastor. In addition to pastoral counseling and visitation, the author points out that sermon writing is always a process that presents itself differently each time, necessarily so because of the work that goes into pastoring and specifically, a sermon. An effective sermon is not written in 30 minutes, because when it is done as it should be, each paragraph, each phrase, each sentence, and even key words are carefully considered to carve into existence the created sculpture of the end product. The sermon is like a live organism which needs expression in its depths. Illustrations should be used sparingly, only for the purpose of expounding and restating the heart of the gospel message of the text on which it is based.At the same time it is not a practical handbook, it is actually more than that. It is one soul who interacts with and reaches out to other souls, daily. It would be helpful for a senior seminarian seminar course or CPE, then re-read at every couple of years intervals.

There are few books in my pastor's study that I return to more often than this gem by Craig Barnes. It would be no understatement to say that "Pastor as Minor Poet" has transformed my self-image of what it means for me to be a pastor. While there are any number of helpful images to shape how we define the complex role of "pastor," Barnes sets out a paradigm of the pastor as a "minor poet" who translates the Word of God into the everyday life of those in the local church. I would recommend this book to anyone who serves the church and for those who may be seeking to better understand their clergy.

M. Craig Barnes in The Pastor as Minor Poet (TPMP) calls pastors back to what it means to be a minister of the Gospel. In the vein of work done by Eugene H. Peterson on the identity and integrity of pastors, TPMP is a voice to take seriously in the cacophony of contemporary opinion about church and professional ministry.The paradigm of TPMP is that there are major poets and minor poets. Major poets are visionaries, quirky and freaky in most cases, whose work influences generations. For the pastor, the major poets are the writers of Scripture. Minor poets are those, like pastors, who see the subtext of particular people and situations, and also see those people and situations in the major poets. TPMP is a clarion call for pastors to be faithful to the Bible and to the churches they serve, without falling prey to the many false identities and gimmicks our church culture wants to force onto the pastorate.TPMP is worth reading, highly recommend this Barnes' work to professional clergy and anyone who loves the Church.

For those who may not have grown up with a love for poetry and great literature, this book is hard work to read. But only initially. As it so often happens, we are quick to look for what makes sense to us and to run from what takes extra work. However Barnes utilizes a beautiful image, which most preachers or presenters of God's word will appreciate. Take the time and enjoy this presentation of a pastor's work each week. His encouragement is helpful and quite valuable and certainly true and timeless. Although this for me was assigned reading for a class, I will most certainly return to the book and its portrait of the pastor/preacher as minor poet. May the Lord continue to speak to and through the pastor/preacher to individuals and congregations all around this world to the glory of God! Therefore, accept the challenge to go the distance and listen to the author's voice, even as the Spirit of God challenges and confirms your place between the Lord God and the people you serve.

A great reminder of the power of the pastor to be a minor poet to his/her congregation. It isn't poetry as one would think, that the pastor has to know rhythm, rhyme and meter. But as a poet sets images and poetic pictures as representatives to the gospel, he/she reminds people of what really matters in lives of faith. I gave this four stars only because Barnes almost assumes everyone has this gift. Sadly, we don't always...but at least he sets the bar for pastors. I highly recommend this book, especially because the poetic images connect directly to the good news, something many pastors forget to present to his/her congregation.