I recently got a copy of Brian Croft’s book that is entitled Visit the sick: Ministering God’s grace in times of illness. The book is in the Ministering the Master’s Way series, published by Day One Publications. Brian, a pastor himself, has written a concise, gospel centered book, that is both theologically rich and practically helpful.
At the beginning of his book, Croft quotes the seventeenth-century Puritan pastor, Richard Baxter, who wisely wrote, “We must be diligent in visiting the sick, and helping them to prepare either for a fruitful life, or a happy death” (14). The rest of the book is filled with wisdom to aid us in this part of pastoral ministry.
In chapter one, Croft delivers a concise biblical theology of sickness, disease, and suffering, in light of what the Bible teaches concerning Creation, the Fall, the person and work of Jesus Christ, the Church, and the New Creation. Chapter two is focused on theological considerations when we visit the sick or dying, so that our visits can honor God, point to Christ, and comfort the sick. Chapters three and four are filled with pastoral and practical considerations for making effective visits. In chapter five, Croft points to Charles Spurgeon as a faithful model of how pastors must make visiting the sick a priority.
Croft concludes his book with some practical advice on how to train not only other leaders, but also our church members how to make effective visits to the sick in our congregations. The first three short appendices include a visitation checklist, a couple of examples of spiritual conversations, and a helpful FAQ. The fourth and final appendix included, is an abridged version of ‘Sickness,’ a challenging piece written by the great Anglican bishop of the nineteenth century, J.C. Ryle.
In his book, Brian Croft rightly points out that our “hearts are wired to forget that death and sickness can fall on each of us at any moment and will fall on all of us eventually. Through caring for the sick and afflicted, we are reminded of the fragility of life and our closeness to eternity” (46). If we are honest, visiting those who are sick or dying is not always the part of ministry that we enjoy most. However, God can and will use our efforts in this area of pastoral ministry, and Brian Croft’s gospel centered book is a tool that will encourage and instruct us on how we can be more effective in this task.
We at Passion for Preaching highly recommend this work to you and your ministry! You can learn more about the book and read a sample over at Day One Publication’s website.
