Bill Easum, Put On Your Oxygen Mask First: Rediscovering Ministry. Abingdon Press, 2004.
Referenced in: Strengthening and Renewing the Ministry Call
LifeandLeadership.com Summary
Bill Easum is not necessarily the best choice if you want pastoral sensitivity, but if you are in a period of ministry doldrums and are ready to be challenged into renewing your ministry call, this is direct soccer-punch toward that end. Although hard-hitting, Easum’s style usually does not irritate, but inspires and challenges. It is not just for ministers who need renewal. It can also help those who want to root the beginnings of ministry in something that is deeply transforming.
Easum’s purpose is to help ministers “rediscover that primal, naïve, original moment with God that left us feeling as if we could change the world,” or “discover for the first time the indescribable experience of feeling called by God to serve the mission.” He provides many exercises toward this end.
One of Easum’s constant refrains is that we have replaced mission with maintenance, and that maintenance is not adequate to sustain and empower ministry. He is especially hard on those who define their ministry primarily in terms of pastoral care:
“Pastors spend the bulk of their time visiting hospitals and shut-ins, doing the priesthood of all believers, going to meetings, writing sermons, counseling, arbitrating church fights, and at best trying to get a few souls to follow their lead. Such action is not what Jesus intended… . Making disciples who do God’s will is the bedrock passion of authentic Christianity. Pastors are called to equip God’s people. And God’s people are called to transform the world. Somewhere along the way, too many of us have lost this passion. In its place we put a desire to care for others and help them achieve whatever it is that they desire to do with their life and church. Like Aaron, we help them build a golden calf.”
Writers like Bill Easum have a unquestionable interest in helping churches and ministers reestablish their missional focus. They write engagingly toward that purpose, and deserve a hearing for all who share their passion.
From the Publisher
At the heart of this book lie two key ideas: First, you can’t give what you don’t have. It is imperative that pastors keep close to their call, close to their mission, and close to God. In other words, leaders must take care of themselves before they can do anything for anyone else. And second, the ministry of pastors is not to fulfill all the tasks of ministry themselves, but rather to equip others for their own ministry. This book is not for those who want “ministry as usual.” Rather, it is for those who want to rediscover that primal, original moment with God that left them feeling as if they could change the world—or for those who want to discover that call for the first time. For such seekers, this book can serve as a guide along their journey.
About the Author
Bill Easum has a thirty year track record of growing congregations in two denominations. His last church, which he pastored for twenty-four years, grew to the largest United Methodist Church in South Texas. The past twenty years, Bill has served as a consultant to congregations and denominations. In 1986 he founded 21st Century Strategies. Bill has personally worked in over 700 congregations, some of which are the largest in the nation, and has taught hundreds of thousands of leaders. Bill is the author of more than a dozen best-selling books.
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