This book is strongly recommended to anyone looking for a little refresher why they are in ministry.
Are you a clergy person needing a little reminder about why you are in ministry? Are you a person considering ministry? This is the book for you!
This Odd and Wondrous Calling: The Public and Private Lives of Two Ministers takes a personal look at the joys and challenges of congregational ministry. Lillian Daniel and Martin B. Copenhaver take turns writing chapters about what it has meant for them to serve in ministry. They have different perspectives and reflect on various topics from whether one can be friends with people in your congregation to how many seminarians believe they can save the whole church with one sermon to what it means to be a calling church, and many more topics.
Sometimes their stories are humorous, sometimes they are serious. Most often, they are a mix of both as they reflect the realities, complexities, challenges, and joys of faithfully leading God’s people. And what it means as clergy when they realize the people they think they are leading are actually leading them. It is a grounded account of what it means to serve the church over many years.
I would strongly recommend this book to anyone considering ministry, anyone in seminary, and especially those who are serving in paid accountable ministry that are looking for a little refresher about what ministry is all about. I am sure that clergy in The United Church of Canada could easily write similar reflections on what they’ve learned and lived throughout their years of service.
The book cover (a communion cup and a cup of coffee) and the title (This Odd and Wondrous Calling) capture what their many stories point to: Ministry can be strange but awesome, humbling but enriching, scary but rewarding.
And if you are called, being an Ordered Minister is something that you can’t help but doing with your life.
— Rev. Bronwyn Corlett, Program Coordinator, Ministry Recruitment. Find out more about the call to ministry in The United Church of Canada and also follow us on "God's World Needs Leaders" Facebook page.
This Odd and Wondrous Calling: The Public and Private Lives of Two Ministers is available from UCRDstore.ca.