Title of Book: Practically Trained Pastors: A 52-Week Field Guide for Ministry in the Trenches
Author: Brian Croft and James B. Caroll
Publisher: Evangelical Press
Year: 2022
About the Book: This 52-week field guide for ministry in the trenches provides a thorough and practical training program for pastors, aspiring pastors, and church ministry leaders. Tackling seven key areas in the life of a shepherd, Practically Trained Pastors takes a step-by-step approach to study.
Each week includes a Bible passage to read, an additional reading assignment, a teaching section, a 4-5 minute video to watch, and reflection questions to help you to apply each topic to your ministry context.
The field guide draws on experience from decades of pastoral ministry and is designed specifically to bridge the gap between academic study and the hands-on practical training necessary for the work of any pastor.
A one-stop resource for in-the-field training, when used alongside other practical shepherding resources, this is the ideal course for a solo pastor to sharpen his pastoral skills, or for a lead pastor to use with his church interns, ministry leaders, or fellow elders.
About the Authors: Brian Croft is the former Senior Pastor of Auburndale Baptist Church in Louisville, Ky., and is the Founder and Executive Director of Practical Shepherding, Inc. He is also Senior Fellow for the Mathena Center for Church Revitalization and an Adjunct Professor at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He has served in pastoral ministry for over twenty-five years, spending seventeen of those years as Senior Pastor of Auburndale Baptist Church.
He has written or contributed to over twenty-five books to help serve pastors and church leaders on the practicalities of pastoral ministry. Croft also trains and mentors hundreds of pastors all over the world on a weekly basis through our video cohorts in partnership with the NAMB. In addition to his writing and online video training, Croft travels all over the world preaching at local churches, speaking at conferences, and training pastors.
Co-author Carroll has been the Senior Pastor at Parkway Baptist in Bardstown, Kentucky since 2010.
