Michael Haykin is Professor of Church History and Biblical Spirituality at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Brian Croft is the Founder of Practical Shepherding.

James Carroll is Senior Pastor of Parkway Baptist Church in Bardstown, Kentucky.

To purchase a copy of Pastoral Friendship, click here.

Quotes from Pastoral Friendship

1. Every modern pastor needs the presence and friendship of other pastors to thrive and persevere throughout the unique challenges of pastoral ministry. (Pg. 17)

2. Friendship is a gift from God to mankind to meet a need that He implanted into our nature. (Pg. 42)

3. In the midst of these deeply distressing circumstances (Benjamin) Francis drew comfort from the piety that a number of his dying children exhibited. For instance, when one of the children from his second marriage, Hester, was dying at the age of eleven in August 1790, she told her mother: ‘My soul is as full of joy as it can contain – the Lord is become my salvation – the gates of heaven are open to me, and I shall soon be there.’ Her last words to her father were: ‘I love you, but I love Christ more.’ (Pg. 64)

4. Without the gospel, some version of friendship is possible, but because we cannot join with others in meaningful, lasting, and spiritually-helpful ways without it, true friendship is impossible. (Pg. 79)

5. While our salvation from sin is deeply personal, it’s never presented as private. Each one of us must trust fully in Christ to receive forgiveness from sin, escape from God’s wrath, and find reconciliation with Him. (Pg. 90)

6. The church is not merely a group of people who assemble for congregational activities; it’s a collection of people who are spiritually woven to one another. (Pg. 91)

7. Many pastors fail to hear, heed, internalize, and apply warnings and direction that could spare heartache and contribute to their ministry because they fail to cultivate friendship. (Pg. 101)

8. Friendship combats the isolation that vocational ministry can cause for the pastor. (Pg. 109)

9. Longevity in ministry is by no accident; it comes by the work of God through the means of grace. (Pg. 111)

10. Every pastor knows one of the best ways to love a pastor is to love his family. (Pg. 137)

---

Evan Knies is an elder of North Hills Church in West Monroe, LA. He is husband of Lauren and father to Maesyn. He is a graduate of Boyce College and Southern Seminary.