Book Review:
Peterson’s journey to and in ministry
Reviewed by Walter Taylor, Special to The Layman, March 22, 2011
In the last year several well-known theological writers have produced their memoirs, among them Stanley Hauerwas, of Duke University, and Carl Braaten, a Lutheran theologian in the confessional wing of the mainline Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Add to the mix Presbyterian pastor and spiritual writer Eugene Peterson, whose The Pastor: A Memoir was recently released. Peterson is no stranger to the writing world, as he has produced a number of books for both clergy and laity. Best known for his paraphrase of the Bible, The Message, Peterson served for many years as the pastor of Christ Our King Presbyterian Church in Bel Air, Maryland, and later as professor of spiritual theology at Regent College, Vancouver, Canada.
Peterson’s memoir is a chronicle of his journey to and in ministry. He recounts how long before he experienced a call to ministry that the call was being formed already in him. He reflects on his own church life in a small Pentecostal church in small town Montana as well as his unexpected journey into the Presbyterian Church. He recalls the impact that family members and their stories had on him as he grew up. Looking back on his youth and childhood, he relates what he 
The Pastor: A Memoir
Eugene H. Peterson
HarperOne
(an imprint of HarperCollins):
2011. 320pp.
ISBN 978-0-06-198820-2.
Hardback. $25.99.
Related articles:
Eugene Peterson: A pastor’s journey
Eugene Peterson chronicles memories in ‘Pastor’
learned about people in his father’s butcher shop, and how this contributed to his own understanding of church. He further tells how the “rituals” of working in the butcher shop informed his own imagination about what life in the sacrificial system of ancient Israel must have been like for the people and priests. Peterson also reflects on his mother’s deep faith and service as well as the ambiguities of an uncle who was killed by his abused wife.
Peterson’s memoir is also a call to remain true to what one might be called a “classical” understanding of ministry, of the pastor as the one who provides for the care of souls. Throughout his ministry Peterson struggled against the increasing pressures to redefine ministry in terms of the helping professions or corporate management styles. Peterson is no friend of the “professional” and consumerist visions of church which dominate the American church scene. He makes it clear that pastors must learn to measure success is deeper ways than clamor or numbers.
Throughout his book, Peterson reveals the imaginative creativity he employed in bringing together the world of the Bible to the world of his congregation. He reflects on his close cooperation with the architect who designed the church building for his young congregation, drawing on the image of Bezalel, the architect who built the Tabernacle for the Israelites.
Peterson peppers his memoir with humorous anecdotes and stories, though always for a point. He relates with relish how, once he figured out that his monthly New Church Development reports were not being read by the appropriate denominational committee to which he submitted them, he began to create wild, outlandish fictional accounts of the goings-on in his congregation, including liturgical drug experimentation. But even these reports did not generate any response from the committee, as they remained unread!
The Pastor: A Memoir is an exciting read for pastors and those who care about the work of pastors. One discovers all sorts of wonderful theological reflections that came from Peterson’s experience. It is part memoir, part instruction, and part challenge. One hears from this prince of pastors about times of joy as well as what Peterson calls the “Badlands” of his ministry, and the need for the pastor to persevere in the work entrusted to him or her. This most recent work of Peterson is truly a refreshing read.
The Rev. Walter Taylor is a Presbyterian pastor in Oak Island, N.C.