Review: The Pastor's Bookshelf: Why Reading Matters for Ministry

   

Carty, Austin. 2022. The Pastor’s Bookshelf: Why Reading Matters for Ministry. Wm. B. Eerdman’s Publishing. 

Austin Carty is a congregational pastor writing to congregational pastors.  Pastor Carty knows first-hand the many different directions a Pastor of any size congregation may be pulled.  So, his argument considers all the reasons, excuses, etc. for not engaging in a discipline of reading that is beyond devotional Bible reading and preparing for sermons and Bible studies. 

At the crux of his argument are the words luxury and necessary.  Pastor Carty argues that reading beyond what is required for immediate congregational responsibilities is not a luxury, but a necessity.  However, many Pastors consider such reading a luxury and they never seem to find the time to make it all the way through the book. And, until the Pastor decides that it is not a luxury but a necessity, he will not get far.

Pr. Carty opens this book with the story of how difficult it was for him to treat reading as a necessity instead of a luxury.  But, once he did, he scheduled time in the office devoted to reading.  He learned from Pastor Eugene Peterson to view reading as a pastoral act and to schedule regular reading into the day just as any other pastoral acts are scheduled in.

Much of the book is devoted to explaining the benefits of becoming a reading pastor.  One his regular images is “filling the reservoir.”  I like to think of it as enriching imagination, deepening understanding, and creating empathy.  Pr. Carty talks about imagination, understanding, and empathy too.  

The Pastor’s Bookshelf is an engaging, easy to read, book that offers advice that will enhance both Pastor and congregation’s minds and souls. Hopefully, those who buy this book actually sit down and read it.  If they “take up and read,” they will be blessed in ways they cannot yet imagine.