"Pastors, like all believers, are agents of grace", maintains Eclov. And that statement is itself a simple summary of Pastoral Graces. And Eclov should know. His experience as a pastor spans 30 years. Eclov insists on a classic insight -- as old as Tennent's "Danger of an Unconverted Ministry": That pastors must learn to grapple with the new-found supernatural gifts of God, to grow in the process of dispensing grace of God even as they are receiving grace, and to practice grace giving in the communities in which they minister. The best kind of story is how pastors tell of God's grace in their lives and their ministries. Pastoral Graces is a book about how that grace flows through pastors and other servants.
I particularly enjoyed his chapter on church conflicts (chapter 8). Being a pastor requires bravery borne in love. "Frustration is an occupational hazard", but if it leads to creating the "sour pastor", there's too much soul damage that can happen. Pastors would do well to revisit Eclov's wisdom in this chapter often.
In the end Pastoral Graces is an encouraging little book.
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I received a free copy of this book from Moody Publishing in exchange for my honest review here.