Bryant and Brunson also warn: "If you are in the ministry and do not have a clear, unquestionable sense of God's call, even though you may not be able to explain it, then you should leave the ministry immediately. The harm you can do to people, a congregation, your family, yourself, and the kingdom is beyond description."

For pastors confident in their call, however, the authors concede, "There will be many times when the only thing that holds your hand to the plow is your call."

The chapter titled "The Pastor and His First Church" cites questions that both the pastoral candidate and pastor search committee should ask each other.

"Very few pastors stay at their first church throughout their entire pastoral career," the authors write, adding, "Many young pastors make mistakes in their first church that would be fatal if the church were not small, loving, and forgiving.

"If a pastor wants to stay at a church, he should learn to practice servant leadership rather than raw pastoral authority, in spite of what many church growth publications suggest," Brunson and Bryant write, noting that a pastor who practices servant leadership gradually gains both pastoral authority and long tenure.

"God has used many difficult churches in the lives of pastors to teach them how to be crucified with Christ and to stay on the cross like Jesus did," the authors observe. "The default attitude for the pastor is to stay, not to leave."

Contrary to what many pastors and church members believe, the authors state that a pastor's "first and most important responsibility is to preach the Word of God" and not to cast a vision, attend the latest convention, be at every class social or make hospital visits.

The primacy of preaching is why the authors included a step-by-step process on sermon preparation. As important as preaching is, however, Brunson and Bryant recognize how other vitally important matters can consume a pastor's time. So they offer practical tips on dealing with staff, worship, technology, missions and evangelism.