Product Description

In this lively and hopeful volume, John Pritchard realistically maps out the life and work of those called to serve God in the ordained ministry, looking in turn at the only three things he believes need be of concern: the glory of God, the pain of the world, and the renewal of the Church. From those flow the priest's many roles, such as spiritual explorer, multi-lingual interpreter, wounded companion, friendly irritant, creative leader and mature risk-taker.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #35123 in Books
• Published on: 2007-06-21
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 164 pages

Review
"Dipping again into John Pritchard's The Life and Work of a Priest for this review reminded me what a remarkable, wise, and humane book it is. It covers just about everything parish life might throw at clergy. Well, not quite everything. If you're troubled by sylvan revels or cohabiting bandits, I'm afraid you're on your own." - Paul Handley, Church Times --Paul Handley, Church Times

About the Author
The Rt Revd John Pritchard is Bishop of Oxford. Formerly Bishop of Jarrow, Archdeacon of Canterbury and Warden of Cranmer Hall, Durham, John Pritchard has written several well-received books for SPCK.

Customer Reviews

Elegant, homely guide to priesthood today
This little book is full of wisdom about the life and work of a priest, (essentially one in the Church of England) in all sorts of areas. It has short, lucid chapters on a range of areas, including preaching, personal organisation, attentive listening, theological reflection, prayer etc..
What it doesn't do is come up with a 'silver bullet' answer, finding the core around which people can define priesthood.
Rather, what Pritchard does is balance an essentially ontological understanding of priesthood (i.e. a priest is something a person is, rather than a job that a person does) with a high view of all the functional things vicars in particular are asked to do.
For example, the paperwork on your desk is not mindless 'red tape' to be scorned: rather, it should be seen as "pastoral work", as invariably each bit of paper is a request/ a need from a particular person: "what you do to the least of these bits of paper, you do to me".
The consequence is that he never privileges one aspect of ministry over another on the basis that one of the two is actually far more important.
Priests should be able to read the signs of the times AND make the worship they lead accessible to newcomers AND go on retreat once a year AND be pastoral ministers who listen "not just to the bassline of the conversation but also the melody" AND collaborate ecumenically AND look for joined up projects with government AND work together with the laity AND keep up with theological developments AND prioritise their family life AND allow outside interests to flourish AND limit themselves to a 50 hour week.
Even just listing those necessary attributes can make a priest feel a bit overwhelmed. There is a weakness to the lack of prioritisation: the task remains endless.
And yet...
this book doesn't feel overwhelming when you read it. There is a generosity at its heart, and a homeliness to his expressions (even when there's a depth of theology behind them) that makes it highly readable, and supportive.
It's made me reconsider my ministry, and it's the book I would now recommend for reading first, by anyone considering ordination as a priest in the Church of England (ahead of say, Michael Ramsey's "The Christian Priest Today" or Steve Croft's "Ministry in Three Dimensions").
It's realistic, but also wise. Above all, it rings true.

Amen!
Amen to what the last reviewer said! In a nutshell - this is an easy to read and relate to book, sharing the inside life of an Anglican vicar. If you are contemplating the calling on your life into ministry, then this is a most excellent starting point!

The Life and Work of a Priest
Excellent book well written in small bits so that one can put it down and easily return to it.