__"A tremendous gift"__ "Scot McKnight has always been one of my favorite writers and theologians because he writes with a deep love for and understanding of the local church. Pastor Paul helps us discover the heart of Paul as a pastor and then apply that same heart to the postmodern setting of the church in North America. His description of pastors as culture makers is one that leaders of the church need to grasp for the church to thrive in current and future realities. Buy this book. Keep it in your back pocket to refer to often. The new realities Scot describes aren't going to be changing anytime soon."  
--__Mike Glenn__, senior pastor, Brentwood Baptist Church, Brentwood, Tennessee  
  
"As I read this abundantly rich exploration of what we learn from Paul as a pastor, I cannot help but imagine what our communities of faith would be like if we were led by pastors like Paul. McKnight has given us a tremendous gift, distilling the role of a pastor to its raw essential: forming Christ in the people we have the privilege to lead."  
--__Nancy Beach__, leadership coach, Slingshot Group; author of Gifted to Lead: The Art of Leading as a Woman in the Church  
  
"During my doctoral cohort led by Scot, he talked about writing this book. As he shared insights and the vision for it, I immediately began to think about how I as a pastor would be spiritually formed, encouraged, and strengthened by it to shepherd God's people. This book is a gift to pastors. I highly recommend it."  
--__Derwin L. Gray__, lead pastor, Transformation Church; author of The High-Definition Leader: Building Multiethnic Churches in a Multiethnic World "Scot McKnight has captured a key aspect of pushing back against the rampant idol of individualism in our culture and in the church. Scot reminds us that 'Paul's theology of ministry was for churches, and therefore individuals, to be nurtured into Christoformity' (the pattern of Jesus's life). Writing to only individuals is the downside of too many books on spiritual formation today. I highly recommend this book for students, pastors, and congregations wanting to learn from Pastor Paul."  
--__Rose Madrid Swetman__, regional leader, Vineyard USA, Northwest Region  
  
"\[A\] wise work. . . . Though best suited for those in the pastorate, general Christian readers will relish McKnight's insightful exploration of Paul's letters."--Publishers Weekly

__Scot McKnight__ (PhD, University of Nottingham), a world-renowned scholar, writer, and speaker, is professor of New Testament at Northern Seminary in Lisle, Illinois. His blog, Jesus Creed, is one of the most popular and influential evangelical blogs. McKnight is the author, coauthor, or editor of more than seventy-five books, including It Takes a Church to Baptize, Adam and the Genome, Kingdom Conspiracy, The Jesus Creed, The King Jesus Gospel, and The Apostle Paul and the Christian Life. He is also a canon theologian for the Diocese of Churches for the Sake of Others.

"When it comes to the pastorate, there is no more scholarly and trusted voice for me than Scot McKnight. With the intellect of a man devoted to theology, with a heart shaped by Christ's love, and with a lifetime of insight, Scot reclaims the true nature of what it means to shepherd God's people. Rather than chasing the intoxicating fruit of larger churches, book deals, and conference speaking, Scot rightly helps those in ministry to return to ministry in the light of the apostle Paul. This is a needed book in a time when more and more of us know less and less of what it is to center on Christ in a pastorate increasingly shaped by business-style 'leadership.'"  
\--__Sean Palmer__, author of Unarmed Empire: In Search of Beloved Community, preaching coach, and teaching pastor at Ecclesia Houston  
  
"With careful exegesis of Paul's world, Paul's letters, and our own world, McKnight shows how pastoral ministry in the spirit of Paul is focused on nurturing a culture of corporate Christlikeness. Full of wisdom concerning critical aspects of both Pauline and contemporary pastoral ministry, this is a book that will help form more faithful ministers of the gospel and, through them, more faithful churches."  
\--__Michael J. Gorman__, St. Mary's Seminary &amp; University, Baltimore  
  
"This book contains a wealth of treasures for anyone who is currently pastoring, who has been pastoring for years, or who is beginning to sense a call to pastor. McKnight's ability to mine the Scriptures to bring inspiration, wisdom, and a Christoform framework to the work of a pastor is profound. Most striking is that the vision he presents for pastors feels attainable. So at its heart this book is deeply encouraging. I highly recommend this."  
\--__Lucy Peppiatt__, principal, Westminster Theological Centre, United Kingdom  
  
"Too often we have split teachings of and narratives about Paul between his high theology and his pastoral practicality. Pastor Paul shows how the major theological themes form the contours of pastoral ministry. At the core is the mandate and possibility of leading people into Christlikeness. In an age when pastoral ministry is often pragmatic without principle, this is a welcome corrective. Creating a 'culture of Christoformity,' as McKnight puts it, should be a liberating and encouraging focal point for anyone trudging along in pastoral ministry today."  
\--__Mel Lawrenz__, minister at large, Elmbrook Church, Brookfield, Wisconsin

Being a pastor is a complicated calling. Pastors are often pulled in multiple directions and must "become all things to all people" (1 Cor. 9:22). What does the New Testament say (or not say) about the pastoral calling? And what can we learn about it from the apostle Paul?  
  
According to popular New Testament scholar Scot McKnight, pastoring must begin first and foremost with spiritual formation, which plays a vital role in the life and ministry of the pastor. As leaders, pastors both create and nurture culture in a church. The biblical vision for that culture is Christoformity, or Christlikeness. Grounding pastoral ministry in the pastoral praxis of the apostle Paul, McKnight shows that nurturing Christoformity was at the heart of the Pauline mission. The pastor's central calling, then, is to mediate Christ in everything. McKnight explores seven dimensions that illustrate this concept--friendship, siblings, generosity, storytelling, witness, subverting the world, and wisdom--as he calls pastors to be conformed to Christ and to nurture a culture of Christoformity in their churches.

A popular New Testament scholar shows how the apostle Paul calls pastors to nurture a culture of Christlikeness, highlighting the vital role of spiritual formation in the life and ministry of the pastor.

__Contents__ 1. Pastors as Culture Makers  
2. A Culture of Friendship  
3. A Culture of Siblings  
4. A Culture of Generosity  
5. A Culture of Storytellers  
6. A Culture of Witness  
7. A Culture of World Subversion  
8. A Culture of Wisdom  
Final Thoughts: Nurturing Christoformity  
Indexes

McKnight, Scot

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Pastor Paul (Theological Explorations for the Church Catholic)

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Pastor Paul (Theological Explorations for the Church Catholic)

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