Confessions of a Pastor
This was the first book I’ve read by Craig Groeschel and I’m hooked. There are some writers who you just connect with and I definitely connect with Craig. I was drawn into this book because many of his struggles are my struggles. He has a humorous writing style that sets you up and then hits you with hard truth. The subtitle of the book is Adventures in Dropping the Pose and Getting Real with God. I like that pastors are realizing that they shouldn’t pretend to be perfect. We are real people with real struggles. I know that we have to be careful to not share struggles that would cause others to stumble. We don’t want to give the devil too much credit here, but it is important to honestly share when we are struggling.
What my generation is longing to see is authenticity. Instead of huge cathedrals with elaborate decorations, we want to see a church where people truly walk with God. Instead of 3 piece suits, we want to see people that have put on the character of Christ. Unfortunately an unbelieving world looks at the church and sees an elaborate system that is confusing, that is self-absorbed, and that is unloving. This book cuts to the core of authenticity. Instead of acting like we have it all together, we should focus on pleasing God and not worry about what everyone else thinks. Craig talks about realizing at one point that he was a full-time pastor and a part-time follower of Christ. I pray that I won’t fall into the same trap. I appreciate Craig’s honesty and humor, and I can say that this book made me aware of several pitfalls that I could easily fall into.
After hearing Craig speak at Catalyst and then reading this book, I have found another pastor that I can really relate to. I look forward to reading more of his books in the future. To me, this is a book that every pastor or church leader should read.