"This book made me want to persevere, to finish the race, to run a long obedience in the same direction, and even to lengthen my stride with each passing year. There's a timeless quality to Perseverance. In a world (and Church) oversaturated with untested ideas, Perseverance speaks an ancient message to a soul that's been bruised, stretched, and dazzled by the pastoral vocation. Particularly, the book's latter chapters spoke personally and profoundly to me, piercing the veneer of our cultural moment with timeless wisdom." –
Tyler Staton, Lead Pastor of Bridgetown Church, National Director of 24-7 Prayer USA, Author of Praying Like Monks, Living Like Fools and Searching for Enough: The High-Wire Walk Between Doubt and Faith
"In a world where we desperately need the gift of the pastor and those who reflect Jesus' shepherd heart, Jon Thompson writes this theologically compelling set of reflections on the life of following Christ in the office of pastor. Rich with the wisdom of one who has walked through the real difficulty of building the Church with Jesus Christ today in an unstable saeculum vying to distract us from God's ways, Thompson recentres us on the still point which remains unchanged in Christ."
– Dr. David Bennett, Oxford Academic and Author of A War of Loves: The Unexpected Story of a Gay Activist Discovering Jesus
"The Church of Jesus Christ is—as Screwtape put it in Lewis' masterful work, The Screwtape Letters—"spread out through all time and space and rooted in eternity, terrible as an army with banners." The senior demon goes on to say, "I confess, (the church) is a spectacle which makes our boldest tempters uneasy." That's not what you and I can see in this current moment. We look like a mess. Between divisions, scandals, deconstruction, and a generation bailing on the church we look poor, pitiful, and weak. How are pastors meant to not just survive but thrive in this moment? It is our moment. Those of us called by God into vocational ministry are a major part of God's offensive strategy to seek and save the lost. I'm grateful for pastors like Jon Thompson, who has faithfully and vibrantly led for over 20 years in one of the more secular cities in North America. He has distilled from his experience and intimacy with Jesus fifteen crucial reflections that I believe will steel your spine to lead with conviction and courage through these turbulent times."
– Matt Chandler, Lead Pastor of The Village Church and Executive Chairman of Acts 29 Church Planting Network
Every generation of Christian leaders for the past 2000 years has had to face landmines that are potential killers, even on the best of days. Some are universal and some cultural, but all are dangerous. We shouldn't be shocked; after all, when we read through Scripture, we see that only 30% of leaders actually finish well.
So the question is, how does one really make it?
Written for those who are considering entering ministry, those who have been in the trenches for any period of time, and even those who are coming near the end of their Christian leadership journey, this book is the reflection of one pastor at the midway point of his own ministry walk.
Perseverance shares fifteen observations that are transcultural, timeless, and transportable to many different settings:
A clear understanding of calling
Living under imminence
The role of love and rest
Leading while owning nothing
Not shying away from death, fear, and weakness
Radical transparency
Spiritual gifts and gift tension
God-given direction
Courage
Genuine encounter
Bold, biblical, and theological confession
Biblical consistency
Pastoral care and confrontation
Willingness to suffer
A call for real homesickness
Together, these have the potential to create an ecosystem that breeds biblical, healthy, and genuine perseverance. And when brought together in a life over time, they just might lead one to be in the 30% who not only finish, but finish well.