The Most Important Book for Pastors
The Ministry of the Word by William M. Taylor
This book is a brilliant compilation of who the pastor is and what he is to do. This is also an excellent book to follow last week’s book which was Princeton and Preaching: Archibald Alexander and the Christian Ministry. In that book, we looked at numerous different angles of the Christian Ministry through the eyes of Archibald Alexander. This week, we continue in our study of the Christian Ministry, but on a broader sense.
Book info
P. #: p. 306, 318 Scriptural and topic and name index
All links to books that are mentioned will be provided below.
Author: William Mackergo Taylor (1829–1895)
Life: Born in Scotland. He graduated from the University of Glasgow in 1849, and later the Divinity Hall of the United Presbyterian Church, Edinburgh in 1852. He pastored multiple churches in England until 1872 when he moved to America where he pastored Broadway Tabernacle in NY. He ministered there until 1893 when he had a stroke which left him parylized. Taylor additionally wrote several biographies of men such as Matthew Dickie and John Knox.
General info about author: Taylor was a Theologian, pastor, author, biographer, and seminary professor.
Overall Summary/review:
Some of the things we’ve seen in this series is that pastors must be men of piety, intelligence, and holiness (foreword).
You can trace Taylor’s goal and desire for this book by looking at the table of contents. (read table of contents). The end goal Taylor has is to remind ministers that Christ alone must be the source of the well of the minister (p. 25-26).
And he also wants ministers to know that they also must work to this end (p. 29, 50, 260)
Taylor also wants ministers to know that they must preach with proper content (p. 86, 97, 138, 201)
He also makes an argument that ministers must be well-studied in their libraries and in the word of God (p. 160-161, 219)