Overview
Charles H. Spurgeon has been considered one of the greatest preachers of all times. An All
Round Ministry focuses on how pastors can excel at what they do. An avid teacher, pastor, and
mentor; Spurgeon had years of experience. An All-Round Ministry is a collection of twelve of
his annual addresses to the Pastor’s college. These twelve speeches are titled: Faith, Forward!,
Individuality, and Its Opposite, How to Meet the Evils of the Age, a New Departure, Light. Fire.
Faith. Life. Love., Strength in Weakness, What We Would Be, Stewards, The Evils of the
Present Time, and Our Object, Necessities, and Encouragements; The Preacher’s Power; and
The Minister in These Times.
Strengths
All-Round Ministry provides valuable insight into what it meant to be a preacher than, as well as
what it means to be a minister now. “The object of preaching, as well as its doctrine, is faith; for
we reckon that we have done nothing for sinners until, by the power of the Holy Ghost, we bring
them to faith.”1 While the opening chapter focuses on how one should maintain faith in all area;
the rest of the text focuses on different aspects relating to ministry. Throughout each chapter
Spurgeon uses biblical examples and verses to help support his concepts.
Another strength of this text is that Spurgeon provides wisdom, and wit, to provide advice for
ministers on how handle specific challenges. Even though these challenges were unique to the
church during Spurgeon’s time; they are also present in the church today. “Brethren, we shall
not adjust our Bible to the age; but before we have with it, by God’s grace, we shall adjust the
age to the Bible.”2 With the changing culture, it is difficult to not want to offend anyone.
However, God’s Word is full of timeless truths that withstand the age.
Weakness
Overall, this text is written extremely well and is applicable to many in the field of ministry.
With that in mind, this text would not be applicable to all Christians. There are concepts that are
discussed that would require a certain degree of knowledge to fully grasp. One other weakness is
the type of writing style that is used. Spurgeon wrote during a different time period which had a
different type of writing and speaking style. While updating the language would be beneficial to
the modern reader, it is not necessary.
Personal Application
1 Charles H. Spurgeon, An All-Round Ministry, (Great Britian: MPG Books Ltd., 2000).
2 Ibid.
An All-Round Ministry provides encouragement for ministers, and lay leaders, alike.
Throughout the text, one is reminded how Christ is always at work in the lives of those who
follow him. When placed in the position of ministry within the church, it is imperative that one
follows Spurgeon advice: “If we fail in faith, we had better not have undertaken it; and unless we
obtain faith commensurate with the service, we shall soon grow weary of it.”
Bibliography
Spurgeon, Charles H. An All-
