Spurgeon the Pastor: Recovering a Biblical and Theological Vision for Ministry

How would you get more than 5,000 people to show up at your church?

Almost every pastor feels the pressure to get people in the doors. More people means more success, more stability, and more godly influence, right? Often, in their zeal for fruit and growth, pastors and church leaders adopt worldly mechanisms for church growth that end up undermining the very call God has given them.

Charles Spurgeon, the Prince of Preachers, was a pastor to well over 5,000 people in a day long before "mega-churches" were the norm. But you might be surprised to know that Spurgeon's vision for ministry was not pragmatic. He did not borrow "best practices" from the business leaders of his day. Rather, his ministry vision was decidedly, staunchly biblical and theological in nature--and it was a ministry vision we ought to adopt more than a century later.

In Spurgeon the Pastor, Geoff Chang, director of the Spurgeon Library at Midwestern Seminary, shows how Spurgeon models a theological vision of ministry in preaching, baptism and the Lord's supper, meaningful church membership, biblical church leadership, leadership development, and more.

Don't get caught up in worldly methods to pursue ministry growth. Follow the example of the Prince of Preachers, and entrust your ministry to the sovereignty of the Prince of Peace.

Geoffrey Chang (Ph.D., Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary) serves as Assistant Professor of Church History and Historical Theology and the Curator of the Spurgeon Library at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City, MO. Prior to this, he served on the ministry staff at Houston Chinese Church (Houston, TX) and Capitol Hill Baptist Church (Washington, DC), and most recently as associate pastor at Hinson Baptist Church (Portland, OR). He is married to Stephanie, and they have three children.