Working the Angles: The Shape of Pastoral Integrity: Trigonometry for Pastoral Work

Buy Working the Angles: Trigonometry for Pastoral Work by Eugene H. Working the angles is what gives shape and integrity to the daily work of pastors".
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There's nothing you can't do! A rollicking tale of love, liquor, preachers, prostitutes, trains, and treasure in the vein of Huckleberry Finn and "O Brother, Where Art Thou? Discover Your Passion, Purpose, and Plan. This book takes you on a path of self-exploration to investigate what you're passionate about and helps you unlock your infinite potential. Raw, personal, humorous stories of spiritual struggle and growth from 29 years of living in China. Coming Home to the Faithfulness of God. Shocking free-fall into a legalistic, restrictive "Christian" cult results in loss of marriage, family, business, reputation, and almost her faith.

Product details File Size: Eerdmans Publishing May 12, Publication Date: April 30, Sold by: Related Video Shorts 0 Upload your video. Share your thoughts with other customers. Write a customer review. Read reviews that mention spiritual direction working the angles eugene peterson pastoral ministry scripture and spiritual prayer and scripture contemplative exegesis teaching and administration pastoral integrity preaching teaching spiritual director attention to god pastoral work calls pastors pastors back peterson calls spiritual directors holy spirit relationship with god pray and read.

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later. Kindle Edition Verified Purchase. Peterson opens his book with an overwhelming introduction that both captured me and also struck fear into my heart. I had read the introduction before, yet had not pressed farther into the book. Yet recently was challenged to revisit this book to face the challenges of Peterson's book and seek the Holy Spirit's work in my life.

After completing Working the Angles, I found there were three specific areas where I received the greatest challenges; prayer, contemplative exegesis, and Sabbath.


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Having spent the last three years in fulltime work in the Church, Working the Angles, was a good challenge to return to the perspective, practice, and discipline I began those years doing. His words and emotional force cut into my heart with the realization of how little energy and importance I now and perhaps always have put on prayer. Most striking, however, was the call to the realization of what prayer really is: I neither was considering Who I was actually communing with or the gravity of my prayers.

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The sections dealing with prayer in this book have been quite restorative in even helping me to slow down in my prayer and seek God. His words to Pastors on "little prayers" offered at the start of an event or function have also pressed my heart to not take lightly the moments we pray prior to the start of class, chapel, a meal, or bedtime with the children. The second of area of challenge that I found of great benefit was that of contemplative exegesis. He uses a striking illustration from Herman Melville's novel White Jacket to tell how we might get carried away with the technical skills of our life's calling to the actual defeat of what we are striving to accomplish.

Already this term I have found this true as we bury deep in research, reading, study, and writing. It is easy for me to strive to read all the texts, gather data, or compose papers and sermons, but to do so devoid of the life found in God's word. Again Working the Angles has been a siren call away from the shoals of academic and scholarly success that could easily end in break up spiritual well being. Prayer and re-realization of a God Who is alive and speaking through His word has been a breath of fresh air.

Finally, Peterson's discussion of Sabbath presses upon my heart. I have been struggling to find both rest and Sabbath.

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Each day I feel the pressure of deadlines and responsibilities, while the tension of family and Church ministry expectations hound my thoughts. Peterson reflections on the Hebrew morning and evening concepts, I pray, will continue to shape my perspective of Who is really at work in my life. He also helped me to re-think what a real Sabbath means and I am seeking to implement a weekly time that restores my perspective on the reality of God, His sovereignty in my life, and healthy disciplines moving forward.

The power, longevity and effectiveness of a church lies in large part on the leadership of its pastor s. It shouldn't be about his or her administrative skills or ability to jump at every whim a member of the congregation brings forward. It should be about the spiritual life and leadership of the pastor.

This isn't about perfection. It's about relationship with God. As a lay person who is active in the local church and works in a ministry to pastors, my heart delights in a pastor who puts God first and everything else in its proper place. You see, when the pastor's hunger for God is alive and well and being fed I can see it, and I have a role model to follow. When the pastor's life demonstrates the results of intimacy with Christ, I am motivated and encouraged.

As a lay person, I was brought up short because for too long I have measured my pastors by the to do list he accomplishes and the teaching she does. The situation seems dire—surely this astute diagnostician may have also a pharmaceutical degree? My wish is not to be fulfilled. The book ends, having offered me only a few anecdotes and parables for prescriptions. Still, though, I find it hard to fault Peterson for this. Perhaps it is the design of God that I first be pricked and pained with yearnings and then in this dissatisfaction not to be fed new solutions and methodologies, but to venture into His presence for fulfillment, to go to Him as the Great Physician.


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If Working the Angles taught me anything, it is this: I must be attentive to God, not to be a successful pastor, but to be a satisfied one. If I expect my ministry to have shape, I must let Him shape it, working the angles into the dimensions of my everyday living. Mar 01, Jan Anne rated it really liked it. Read this if you want to be a pastor or hold a spiritual position.


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Jan 06, Marcus rated it really liked it Shelves: When I read the introduction, I admit I winced a bit. I prepared to blow through the required pages so I can go on my way and seek encouragement from another place. Only forty pages in, however, Working the Angles sets itself apart from other pastoral literature. Peterson weaves personal story, pastoral tradition, personal experience, and exegesis in such a way that I felt as if he were sitting with me and actually encouraging me in my future pastoral ministry.

I can actually admit excitement and inspiration after this one! However, Peterson does not let the stark reality dampen his heart — he clings to the God he knows is real, and welcomes readers into worship with him. Thank you, Eugene Peterson. Jun 10, Luke Miller rated it really liked it Shelves: Second book in Peterson's pastoral series. I liked this one better than the first. Put these books down for causing mild cases of intellectual whiplash. I found myself bouncing between deep concern and deep gratitude. Parts of this book brought on moments of intense introspection, while others brought on angry arguments with the page.

In the end, Peterson consistently calls pastor to embrace a biblical and relational view of ministry, not a pragmatic and organizational one. For this, I am deeply Second book in Peterson's pastoral series. For this, I am deeply grateful. Sep 16, Mike Awtry rated it it was amazing. Fantastic book on pastoral ministry. My personal highlights were everything he had on prayer, letting the Scriptures speak to us rather than treating it with a consumer mindset, and the last chapter on how not to approach spiritual direction.

Jun 07, Evan McCord rated it really liked it. Not an easy read but insightful and legit. I like what Peterson has to say. Jul 26, Demetrius Rogers rated it it was amazing Shelves: This is as close as it gets to my personal philosophy of ministry. Nov 25, Noah Schumacher rated it it was amazing. Essential reading for anyone in ministry or Christian leadership. I'd give it 6 stars if possible. May 11, Aaron Case rated it it was amazing Shelves: I wavered between giving this book 4 or 5 stars, and here's why - This is an incredibly important book for every Christian leader to absorb hence the 5 stars.

This book focuses on 3 crucial "angles" for the pastor: Peterson insists these were the primary occupations of pastors for many years, but have in recent decades been marginalized in the pastor I wavered between giving this book 4 or 5 stars, and here's why - This is an incredibly important book for every Christian leader to absorb hence the 5 stars.

Peterson insists these were the primary occupations of pastors for many years, but have in recent decades been marginalized in the pastor's daily routine. This book is an important reminder of these three crucial angles, that must regularly be cultivated in the life of the pastor. Here is why I nearly docked the book one star - It would seem that Peterson's primary description of "Pastor" is that of the shepherd guide. This is biblically correct as established in scripture; no argument there.

However, in our age the word pastor-for good or bad-has taken on other meanings. It has become in many ways a generic term for Christian vocational leaders. We are seeing many instances where people with strong administrative, large picture giftings, are serving with the title of pastor. While I would declare that these leaders without exception, need to work the three angles regularly, the role of shepherd may not b their primary gift or calling. Other pastors, who do embody these shepherding gifts, may serve larger congregations, where the demands on their time require they limit the amount of time spent one on one with congregants giving spiritual direction.

This of course causes some controversy and argument against the big church. This view suggests that big is bad, and inherently unhealthy. In my years of church life I have experienced unhealthy churches that were big and unhealthy churches that were small. Likewise, I have witnessed healthy churches that were big and small as well. The size of the church should not be equated with health. Things do shift from small to large though. A pastor of a church of should know everyone by name. A pastor of a church of 1, should not be expected to. The health of both the small and large church rests not only on a wise spiritual director, but on that pastor's ability to equip others for the same tasks.

The body of Christ is built up as each part does its work. What is necessary for the church as it grows from small to large is a shift on emphasis between these two roles.

Working the Angles: The Shape of Pastoral Integrity

The pastor of the small church may spend more time on spiritual direction, and less on equipping lay leaders. The shift to the large church may then show less spiritual direction and more equipping. In both scenarios the pastor reproduces himself. I have found the argument over what size church God prefers to be fruitless. Health is the issue that matters to God. This book reads as if it leans toward the small church; since Peterson tends to insist a primary role of the pastor be giving spiritual direction.

I do believe the primary role of the pastor should be to PROVIDE spiritual direction, but this is different from being the one who personally offers it. My role, as I have shifted from a smaller congregation to a larger one, is to create and provide environments where spiritual direction occurs regularly. In order to create those structures, and equip others to serve in this capacity, I must in turn do less of it personally. Jan 15, Jacob rated it really liked it. Many pastors have become "very good shopkeepers," but they are abandoning their post as true shepherds.

The pastor's calling in the church is "to keep the community attentive to God. The angles are formed by three pastoral acts that go largely unnoticed: Recovering a biblical and historic pastoral ministry requires attention to the "angles", and it is to these three pastoral acts that the author devotes this book. He calls attention to the Psalter as the church's primary prayer book: Peterson highlights the personal nature of God's Word; in reading Scripture, we are not simply reading, but listening to the voice of God.

And this listening is to happen in community. He offers a helpful distillation of some of Barth's insights concerning the Word of God. Finally, the pastor is to give and receive true spiritual direction. The pastor must attentively listen to God through others, and lead others in growing in their awareness of God. Working the Angles gives a moving, poetic, and compelling vision for pastoral ministry, and I recommend it for any pastor or in my own case aspiring pastor.

Working the Angles - Eugene H. Peterson : Eerdmans

Jun 21, Todd Wilhelm rated it really liked it. And then I began to find them, one by one, here and there. In obscure corners of libraries far from the best-seller racks. In quiet, easy-to-overlook persons well out of the promotional limelight.

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I discovered people who were at the same time sane and devout, disciplined and mature, intelligent and wise. There were not many of "I shelved but did not quite abandon hope for matters in the spiritual life, for mentors in prayer, for experienced companions in the soul's itinerary. There were not many of them, but they were most certainly there. These people brought a fierce intelligence, a disciplined moral imagination, and a well-tested spiritual maturity to matters of God and soul.

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They were dealing with the questions that I raised whenever I was moving into the heart of the faith, struggling to find my personal way through the difficulties of Scripture or the mysteries of prayer or the "dark night of the soul. But the Scriptures and our best pastoral traditions train us in a different approach: They are preoccupied with shopkeeper's concerns - how to keep the customers happy, how to lure customers away from competitors down the street, how to package the goods so that the customers will lay out more money.

Some of them are very good shopkeepers. They attract a lot of customers, pull in great sums of money, develop splendid reputations. Yet it is still shopkeeping; religious shopkeeping, to be sure, but shopkeeping all the same. The marketing strategies of the fast-food franchise occupy the waking minds of these entrepreneurs; while asleep they dream of the kind of success that will get the attention of journalists.

This has produced in our time the opprobrious practice of pastors manipulating their so-called flocks on the same principles that managers use to run supermarkets. A widespread misunderstanding of sabbath trivializes it by designating it "a day off. Days off are not without benefits, to be sure, but sabbaths they are not. The second commandment is difficult to keep and so is backed up by a warning.

The fifth commandment is fatiguing to keep and so gets the support of a promise. But the fourth commandment appears neither necessary nor logical, and so reasons are given for it. It is one of the ironies of history that our age, which prides itself on its appeal to reason, is most disregarding of the one commandment that is supported by reason - a double reason actually, one historical, the other theological. From this point, and throughout, he develops these three acts into what is still one of the most convicting and centering treatises on the pastoral role.

They are the angles of the triangle. With characteristic insight and wit Peterson reminds us that the success of our ministry does not rest on either cutting edge methodology or the ability to administer programs, but on our ability to listen. Thus, he encourages us to return to the regular practice of listening to God in prayer, listening to the revelation of Scripture and listening to the stories of our neighbors. Working the Angles does not reveal an unknown secret of pastoral ministry, but encourages us to return to a basic practice and rhythm of pastoral life. Peterson is a pastor, scholar, writer, and poet.

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