by Richard Baxter

Here’s the scene: a pastor is deeply frustrated about the steady degeneration of his society. In addition to this, churches are in sad shape across the country. Members of churches are self-consumed and refuse to be held accountable for their spiritual lives. They actually get offended when a pastor seeks to point out issues, sins or rebellion in their lives.

In addition, churches are splitting left and right. Some entire groups won’t tolerate other groups. The pastor continually warns that such division will only discredit Christianity as a whole in the eyes of society.

To make matters worse, many pastors have abdicated their role as spiritual shepherds and simply seek to preach and teach bland self-help material, passing it off as the Gospel of Christ. They avoid controversial matter, for fear of offending someone. They do not seek to discipline nor disciple their members, nor are they training leaders to carry on the work of the ministry.

You may be thinking that this sounds pretty normal. However, Richard Baxter addressed these concerns and many others in his book The Reformed Pastor during the mid-1600s. I wrote a while back about the importance of learning from “old dead guys,” and I stand by that. If you haven’t read any Christian books published prior to 1900 recently, your Christianity is certainly skewed, and you may even be guilty of what John Piper calls “chronological snobbery.”

Baxter has been called the “Prince of Preachers,”� and this book (one of his more than 168 works!) is a demonstration of his deep burden for the beauty of the bride of Christ, his careful articulation of theology, and his extremely practical approach to Christian living and leading.

For pastors who avoid discipline (or church members who decry it), Baxter said:

The tempter surely has gained a great victory when he gets but one godly pastor of a church to neglect discipline; if it were well understood how much of our pastoral authority and work consists in church guidance, then it would be also discerned that to be against discipline in the church is tantum non to be against the ministry. Again, to be against the ministry is to be absolutely against the church. And to be against the church is near to being absolutely against Christ.

Sir Stephen James, writing of Baxter, said, “Men of his size are not to be drawn in miniature.”� I am afraid that any attempt to summarize this book or the man in one-entry blog would do just that. I highly encourage any Christian leader to read, digest, and allow this book and its hard-hitting practical advice to reform your ministry. At the very least, it’s a humbling evaluation tool.

This small book by Baxter would cause large waves in the evangelical pool if but half of the pastors in your area would read it. It is a great discussion tool for practical and personal ministry. Much of the book was originally written to be an address to a group of protesters – Protestants. Baxter does not pull any punches. When talking of ministers’ communion with one another, he says:

Do not grow strange to one another. Do not say that you have business of your own to do when you should be at any such meetings or other work for God; Even if you could do without the benefit of such meetings, yet the church and our common work required them. Do not then show yourselves condemners or neglecters or such necessary work. Distance breeds strangeness and foments dividing flames and jealousies. Communion will prevent or cure this; Ministers have need of one another.

Before one thinks that Baxter doesn’t have much to offer the Christian layperson, I would urge anyone with the desire to learn to read the book as well. It has so much to say about the attitude and practice of laity as well as pastors.

Considering that Baxter was both a political leader and prison frequenter during his tenure as pastor should interest you as you do more research and reading into his storied ministry. I, for one, am putting one book on my wish list: A Life of the Reverend Richard Baxter.

According to Wikipedia, Baxter’s Call to the Unconverted is, “without doubt, his most famous and enduring contribution to Christian literature; This slim volume was credited with the conversion of thousands and formed one of the core extra-biblical texts of evangelicalism until at least the middle of the nineteenth century.”�

On this day...

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6 Comments

Mandy July 11, 2008 at 1:08 pm

Great post! Sounds a lot like what was briefly discussed in our article. I can tell you that after years of going to different churches, I learned almost nothing. Sad, isn’t it? I never left feeling condemned or uplifted. I just felt the same. (which led to feeling spiritually dead as time passed.) Had I not been raised in church, and was seeking information on how to “become saved” I would never have even heard that message.

This is where I have to praise you guys, our leaders, at Journey. Seriously. You have perfectly melted together preaching and teaching. I haven’t figured out exactly how yet, but I leave each Sunday feeling like I need to change SOMETHING about my life with God, without feeling attacked or necessarily “condemned.” I also leave feeling like I just obtained so much information that I had possibly never heard before that my brain might explode. I love it! :)

I’m so glad that your vision and passion for our church (and churches the world over) is so Christ led. God definitely has definitely given you the gift of teaching his word effectively!

Mandys last blog post..Do Pink Boxers Keep Men Out of Prison?

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Linda July 11, 2008 at 3:16 pm

My pastor just finished up a series titled “Sermons of our Fathers”. He took sermons from “old dead guys” like JC Philpot, George Whitefield, Jonathan Edwards, and Spurgeon and shared them with us. I encourage everyone to read not only books from God fearing men, but read or even listen to some sermons @ http://www.sermonindex.com.

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Andy July 12, 2008 at 5:04 pm

Richard Baxter was a great guy. I live in Kidderminster, the town that was on its way to hell when he stepped up to the plate.

But here is the thing – these things are cyclical: Kidderminster is on its way to hell again. I am sick of hearing church leaders talk about the ‘days of Baxter’, and how those days will ‘come again’. No, they won’t – unless we stop talking about how Baxter’s courage unleashed a God-sized transformation on our town, and actually stand up and show that same courage.

It drives me mad, and is a reason why we are looking to leave. In fact, if we can get visas, we are coming to your side of the pond and soon. You see, we tried to stand up and be counted, to step up to the plate and to show that same courage, to bring others with us, to reignite passion; and we got trampled on – not by the unchurched but by the churched, who would rather sit around and pray for the days of Baxter to come again than get off their lazy arses and go seize them. Forceful men, scripture says: Baxter was a forceful man, but here, in this town at this time, we have only passive wimps.

OK, that’s it, rant over – every time I see the name Baxter, I rant. It’s an affliction.

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Jeff July 12, 2008 at 6:36 pm

@Mandy: Thanks, deeply and truly. I am grateful for your comments. Many times, I’ve related to Ryan and other leaders how hard it is to lead and teach the way we do with little to no feedback each week. It’s occasional notes like this that help us see and renew our confidence that the passionate preaching and teaching of God’s Word is exactly what all peoples need.

@Linda: That is awesome and a great idea! Did he share Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God by Edwards with you?

@Andy: From what you describe, the UK’s experience with passionate Puritanism in the 1600s and the US’s experience with 1900s revivalism and Great Awakening are similar. Our “Bible Belt” (the south) is eerily similar to what you describe and are frustrated with. I too, share many of the same frustrations. Great to hear from you and that you’re still kicking this thing!

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Linda July 14, 2008 at 12:16 pm

Yes he did! I really enjoyed hearing all the messages.

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Caffeinated Thoughts - » Twenty Items of Interest (v.24) July 15, 2008 at 12:20 am

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Notes from the Trail
The Personal Blog of Jeff Noble
Info: From the misty hills of Virginia, "Notes from the Trail" seeks to encourage you on your journey. Written by a graphic designer-pastor, this blog is a blend of humor, insight, and faith discovery.