An All-Round Ministry by Charles Spurgeon

No one person has had more words published in the English language that Charles Spurgeon. The number of words in all of the books published with the Prince of Preachers name on them rival those of the Encyclopedia Britannica. So how does one pick one book to begin with in reading Spurgeon? That is a difficult question indeed!

An All-Round Ministry may well be the answer to that question. Beginning in 1865 Spurgeon initiated an Annual Conference of his Pastor's College. Over the following years, Spurgeon gave 27 annual messages at this Conferences. 12 of those messages are recorded in this book.

In this work we see Spurgeon at the height and maturity of his ministry. Each chapter is a gold-mine of practical advice on the ministry for pastors and all those who seek to serve the Lord in His church. Every preacher should read the chapter, Strength in Weakness. Spurgeon reminds us that proclaiming the Gospel is the most taxing work on earth. In fact, preachers who never struggle with their text; who never find themselves fearful of the task of preaching, are to be viewed with caution.

Another chapter which is most timely, though written a century ago, is The Evils of the Present Time. Long before our generation, Spurgeon saw the dangers of the church seeking to become an entertainment center. After reading this chapter, one would think the pastor of London had just visited many of our modern-day churches .

This is an intensely personal book. One can feel the pressures of the Downgrade in the later chapters. Spurgeon urges his listeners to stay the course with the Gospel. He reminds us that when we preach truth we are not in hot water. The hearers are if they do not respond to that truth. How we all need to heed the call of Spurgeon to remain faithful to the Gospel no matter what the tone of the times are!

An All-Round Ministry by Charles H. Spurgeon (The Banner of Truth Trust, 1986), paper 396 pages