“Christ at the Center of Pastoral Ministry,” by Richard Thomas Vann Jr., reflects the “wisdom of a pastor, the heart of an evangelist, and the intellect of an academician,” according to one reviewer of Vann’s book (Courier Publishing, 228 pages, $19.95).

Lewis Richerson said Vann “has … pointed us toward ministry’s theological end: Christ.” Richerson is lead pastor of Woodlawn Baptist Church in Baton Rouge.

Subtitled “The Difference Jesus Makes in Pastoral Theology, Spiritual Leadership, and Ministry Practices,” Vann’s book should be “required reading at every seminary,” according to a second reviewer, and is “helpful to every minister called to follow in the steps of Jesus,” said another.

Vann, professor of Christian ministry in the Graduate School of Ministry, Dallas Baptist University, said pastors and gospel ministers through the centuries “have benefited from what the prophets and apostles penned in the Old and New Testaments and from what pastoral theologians and pastors have taught and written.”

He said “Christ at the Center of Pastoral Ministry” looks to Jesus, “the author and finisher of our faith, and to the holy Scriptures for a Christ-centered approach to pastoral theology, spiritual leadership, and ministry practices.”

“Tom Vann provides from his decades of study, practice, and leadership exactly what every person committed to serving as Christian shepherd ought to understand,” said Barry Creamer, president of Criswell College in Dallas.

Vann has served on the DBU faculty since 2010. A U.S. Air Force veteran and former Army chaplain, he holds multiple degrees, including a Ph.D. from the University of South Carolina and a D.Min. from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He and his wife, Marta, have six married children and 18 grandchildren.

“Christ at the Center of Pastoral Ministry” is available from major online booksellers, including Amazon and Barnes & Noble.