Pastors: Don’t Despise Small Things
The Ministry of Small Things: Wisdom for Those Who Serve the Church, Reuben Bredenhof. Phillipsburg: P & R, 2026. Softcover, 144 pages.
Pastoral care isn’t something intuitive or natural to anyone. Everyone called to do it needs instruction and wise guidance. This little book provides that for those who are starting off in ministry, as well as for those who are more seasoned.
The Ministry of Small Things consists of 30 short chapters. It’s divided into three sections: Beginning the Work, Doing the Work, Pressing on with the Work. Some of the chapter titles include:
- Let Your People Know That You Love Them
- Ask the Questions You Don’t Want to Ask
- Be the Predictable Pastor
- Pray with Your People
- Know What to Do with Criticism
While the basis is always Scripture, the author has sprinkled throughout many helpful anecdotes from his years of pastoral experience in Canada and Australia. Each chapter concludes with a question for reflection.
This is a unique practical guide to the work of ministry. I’d commend it to my colleagues everywhere. While it is addressed to pastors, much of it is also applicable to the pastoral ministry of elders. For example, Bredenhof writes, “Maybe review the membership list periodically, just to be reminded all the individual souls in your care” (p.75). Similarly, elders should periodically look over their ward list. As another example, “Before the pastor comes to the home or the hospital, his people will know what he is going to say: He will point them to Christ” (p.79). We need elders who will be predictable in exactly the same way.
Clearly written, The Ministry of Small Things will undoubtedly enrich those who read it. I might also add that its contents bode well for the training of future pastors, since the author is (since 2023) professor of ministry and mission at the Canadian Reformed Theological Seminary. If this reflects how he is teaching the next generation, we can look forward to God blessing his church through their “ministry of small things.”
Originally published in Clarion 75.6 (May 1, 2026)
