Dangerous Calling - Review

My dad is a pastor. When we grew up my friends would ask what my father did all week long. Dont pastors only work on Sunday? was a common refrain. Serving a local church is a full time job. It demands more than a nine-to-five input of many vocations. To say that a pastor takes his work home with him or her is an understatement. Pastors lead through living. Paul David Tripp is aware of the challenges faced by the local pastor. His book, Dangerous Calling,  describes the perilous task of church leadership. Tripp describes common pitfalls which threaten pastoral leadership. His warnings help those in leadership to evaluate their own heart and motives while serving the church. Tripp paints an honest picture of the relationship that exists between God and man and reminds pastors to lead from a place of awe and humility. This book is written explicitly for pastors. It is a warning against hubris and reflects on the servant heart required to follow Jesus. It is clearly composed from a place of conviction. Parts of the text feel like a rant and that is what it is. Tripp is clear about his intent to write with conviction from his personal point of view. I often felt like he was speaking to a third party and not to me. This is not because I am felt exempt from the dangerous calling but because he had a specific type of person in mind who I was not.

I would recommend skimming this book. There were moments of true conviction. I paused on several occasions and took stock my my own approach to ministry. Tripp writes to all pastors but seems to have a type in mind. He references young theology gurus and seminary big shots throughut the text. His warnings become more narrowly focused on these types of individuals and lead me to mentally check out at times. The big idea is sound and worth evaluating.