To Be A Good and Faithful Servant: The Life and Work of a Minister

In To Be a Good and Faithful Servant, Cecil Sherman gives his reader a truly rare treat: a handbook of the “best practices” of effective leadership delivered with his signature wit, wisdom, and faithfulness to the gospel and way of Christ. He developed his recipe for growing churches—without forgetting along the way to grow his own family and maintain his Christian character—over the span of a career marked by prophetic truth-telling, struggle, controversy and outstanding success. To Be a Good and Faithful Servant offers a window into how one pastor navigated the many daily challenges and opportunities of ministerial life and shares that wisdom with church leaders wherever they are in life—whether serving as lay leaders or as ministers just out of seminary, midway through a career, or seeking renewal after many years of service.

Cecil Sherman most recently served as visiting professor of pastoral ministries at the Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond. During his long career, Dr. Sherman served pastorates in North Carolina, Georgia, New Jersey, and Texas and was very active in church life and community service.

Endorsements (for more endorsements, click here)

Cecil Sherman gave his life to the work of ministry and along the way inspired untold numbers of us to do the same. This book ought to sit within arm’s reach on every pastor’s desk.

—Stephen H. Cook
Pastor, First Baptist Church
Danville, Virginia
2002 Graduate, Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond

For anyone who cares about pastoral work in Jesus’ name, this is a must read.

—W. Randall Lolley
Retired President of Southeastern Seminary

I couldn’t put it down. If To Be a Good and Faithful Servant doesn’t become a pastoral ministry classic and standard text for seminary classes, someone isn’t paying attention.

—James H. Slatton
Pastor Emeritus, River Road Baptist Church
Richmond, Virginia

I predict that To Be a Good and Faithful Servant will be a textbook and handbook for a multitude of ministers.

—Daniel Vestal
Executive Coordinator, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship
Atlanta, Georgia

From the course heralded as the most practical class a seminarian could take in preparation for ministry comes the quintessential instruction and commentary on servant leadership.