Pastor: revised edition: the theology and practice of ordained ministry - william h. willimon

Ordained ministry, says Willimon, is a gift of God to the church--but that doesnt mean that it is easy.

Always a difficult vocation, changes in society and the church in recent years have made the ordained life all the more complex and challenging.

Is the pastor primarily a preacher, a professional caregiver, an administrator? Given the call of all Christians to be ministers to the world, what is the distinctive ministry of the ordained? When does ones ministry take on the character of prophet, and when does it become that of priest? What are the special ethical obligations and disciplines of the ordained?.