As pastors we are continually aware of new books, articles, blog posts, etc… There is an information overload. We cannot stay up with everything that is out there. But, we can as brothers in Christ make each other aware of beneficial resources that we have read. One of the resources that I have read recently is, “On the Brink: Grace for the burned out pastor.” It was written by Clay Werner who pastors Lexington Presbyterian Church in Lexington, South Carolina. Clay has been in pastoral ministry for seven years, which resonated with me because I have served for about ten years. You may think it is somewhat odd that a pastor would write a book on ministry burnout after only seven years. Odd maybe? Out of the ordinary? Not at all.

The book itself is less than 140 pages but it packs a powerful punch. In the introduction Werner provides a thought-provoking contrast between a “theology of glory” and a “theology of the cross.” He writes, “To begin with, although many pastors profess a theology of the cross, they often function unconsciously with a theology of glory. A theology of glory maintains that we come from glory and are headed for glory, and in between we strive to stay on ‘the glory road.’ These leaders expect little suffering and many successes, and either run in fear or remain with bitterness and anger when things break down. Hardship, suffering, self-denial, and patience are all anathema to a heart driven by a theology of glory. A theology of the cross, however, accepts suffering as the lot of any Christian, realizing that just as Christ suffered and then entered into glory, so we must follow the same path” (p. 16). This quote truly resonated with me because of its truth and because of personal experience. How many of us have wanted to run? How many of us have stayed in bitterness and anger?

Werner begins in chapter one by discussing the importance of keeping our eyes on the Lord. As many other ministry books have touched on, we are in trouble when we focus on conflict, discouragement, and trials rather than keeping our focus on our great God. The author uses the example of Moses and concludes the chapter with Paul’s prayer for the Colossian church (Col. 1:11). Werner writes, “What Moses endured and what we endure, although painful, shouldn’t surprise us. We should rather expect it and be prepared for it by the grace of the gospel. This God-given strength to endure flows to us from the grace purchased for us on Calvary” (pp. 28-29). We should expect that suffering and difficulty will come our way as we serve Christ. The grace of God sustains us through all circumstances.

As the book progresses the author discusses idolatry, which greatly hinders our ministries. He discussed how unaware he was of how he derived his significance from how much his church grew (or didn’t grow) and how quickly people grew spiritually (or didn’t grow). Werner poses this question, “’What is the I’d be happier if…’ of your heart?” Our answers to this question could reveal the idols of our hearts. These idols, which distract us from Christ’s finished work and his sovereignty in building his church, are things which must be repudiated. The author does a fine job of pointing out examples of idolatry and providing questions to help us identify idolatry in our hearts. But, he doesn’t leave us stranded there, he points to the gospel and our identity in Christ.

Werner is the pastor of a Presbyterian church and therefore differs from me in his ecclesiology and eschatology. But, these are things that do not distract from the central message of the book. I have also read, “Liberating Ministry from the Success Syndrome” by Kent and Barbara Hughes. The Hughes’ book was a very well done but I found Werner’s book more helpful, in my opinion. Werner delivers his message in fewer pages and gets to the heart of the matter in short order. Early in the book Werner confesses, “There was one thing I was missing, and it was the most important thing – the gospel. I had totally missed it. I had a blame-retardant heart coating my heart and refused to see the sin inside, yet I was relentless in pointing out the flaws of others. I identified myself as a leader, pastor, and shepherd, and had forgotten that I too was a hard-hearted, rebellious, idolatrous, angry, frustrated, slow-to-learn, impatient, prayerless sheep-disciple filled with self-righteous anger, fair-weather faith, and unrealistic and dangerous expectations of the sheep in the congregation I pastored” (p. 20). This paragraph highlights many of the heart issues that we struggle with continually. Werner doesn’t leave us stranded there. He provides biblical counsel that helps equip us to faithfully serve the Lord Christ.

I highly recommend this book. It was written by a pastor for pastors, but it would be highly beneficial for any Christian. It will help Christians identify destructive, unbiblical thinking in their lives, and how to change their thinking to become more biblical and Christlike.