Bobby Jamieson’s thesis on The Path to Being a Pastor is not complicated at all. Described in the preface, his goal is to simply provoke the aspiring pastor. Taking the form of mere counsel and advice, he means to present various imperatives, all of which stem from Scripture, to help guide the mind and heart of one who is considering the pastorate. Jamieson confesses that this is no exhaustive work, and in fact, he will leave out other areas of consideration. This book could be described as an “introduction” or “starting point” that he hopes will probe further meditation into God’s Word and perhaps other studies as well. One of the main themes that is presented is longevity and faithfulness. “Give yourself to cultivating gifts and godliness,…show more content… In other words, I am not guaranteed a pastoral job. Entitlement, Jamieson states, is a form of pride that can take in someone aspiring to ministry. Now, neither I nor others assess a blatant sense of entitlement stemming from pride in the way I live my life. Though, that does not mean there is no trace of it within me. The excitement and encouragement I receive from family, friends, and church leadership when I relay these ministry desires has certainly created an expectation that I would, in fact, hold one of these positions someday. Within this type of expectancy, even if only in a small proportion, is the fruit of deep seeded pride. Relating to the first reflection, Jamieson encourages those aspiring pastors to “purify your aspiration of any trace of entitlement.” The concluding area of reflection comes from chapters 16, 17, and 18 located in the book’s second part; these chapters talk about pastors’ wives and children. Having been married for three years with our first child almost here, these chapters really stood out to me. Specifically, I was struck by how Jamieson paired pastoral ministry with being a husband and especially being a
