I’ve unintentionally (and unfortunately) discovered the single greatest reason to shop in a physical bookstore rather than online. You can quickly see whether or not a book has pulled-out and enlarged quotes in the sidebar—and avoid wasting your time.

I bought this book for a couple reasons:

1. Some blog I read recommended it—if only I could remember which blog that was . . .
2. I’m a new pastor and thought it would be good to supplement my understanding of pastoral theology.

The main idea of the book is theologically sound and quite compelling: pastors need to stop acting like CEOs and recover a biblical model of shepherding. That’s where the goodness ended. I gave the first chapter the benefit of the doubt, but I quickly laid down my underlining pencil when I realized that there wasn’t any meat here for me.

If you want a better grasp of pastoral theology, read any (or all) of Eugene Peterson’s books on the topic instead:

• Working the Angles: The Shape of Pastoral Integrity
• Under the Unpredictable Plant: An Exploration in Vocational Holiness
• Five Smooth Stones for Pastoral Work
• The Contemplative Pastor: Returning to the Art of Spiritual Direction

Anderson, Lynn. They Smell Like Sheep: Spiritual Leadership for the Twenty-First Century. Simon and Schuster, 1997.