Albert N. Martin

Obtain this book at: Trinity Book Service

It happens little by little. . . Even in the context of a very faithful ministry, a pastor may be at risk of a gradual-but ultimately debilitating-downfall.

Al Martin speaks from years of experience as he guides pastors to identify warning signs of dangerous paths:

* Backsliding-a spiritual decline manifested first in the prayer closet.

* Burnout-erosion of one’s mental, emotional, psychological, and physical resiliency and buoyancy.

* Washout-the loss of credibility among the people.

With sympathetic counsel, Martin probes into the life of the minister, addressing symptoms, causes and cures for these conditions. For some, these pages may prove corrective and restorative. For others, they may prove preventive.

Endorsements

The author brings to this volume a lifetime of Christian ministry, studious preparation and experience in teaching pastors. He brings warnings and solutions to such problems as when men neglect their devotional lives or family responsibilities, wander from a good conscience or from real fellowship with their people.. May this book transform and help to sustain many of us. – Edward Donnelly (Principal, Reformed Theological College, Belfast, Northern Ireland)

Satan attacks a pastor in various ways. Sometimes he tempts him to gross and scandalous sins. However, sometimes the devil sneaks in quietly. He distracts us from what is most important. He twists one good activity into an excuse to neglect another duty. He subtly appeals to our pride to make us act as if we have no needs or limitations. Al Martin’s book exposes these dangers, and is eminently helpful to preserve a pastor for long-term service to the glory of God. I heartily recommend it for men aspiring to ministry, for men in ministry, and for all those who love them. – Joel R. Beeke (President, Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary, Grand Rapids, Michigan)

How thrilling was Albert Martin’s arrival on the scene in England in the late 60s. He seemed to have taken all that was the very best of evangelical preaching from the Puritans, and the preachers of the Evangelical Awakening, from M’Cheyne in Scotland and from Princeton in New Jersey, from Ryle and Spurgeon, from auditing the classes of John Murray at Westminster Seminary, and he mined all this rich seam of experiential Calvinism and he brought out jewels. He preached to the mind, affections and consciences of his hearers and impacted them so that in the succeeding years as he returned to our conferences the numbers increased. God’s blessing was on him and on us. What we experienced in England was also replicated in the USA. Now in retirement from the pastorate this substantial work has appeared. It is on a theme familiar enough to the Puritans, on ministerial credibility and backsliding. How discerning and searching our fathers were in analysing the marks of such declension and the means of ministerial revival. May this be the first of a number of books to come from Albert Martin to the good of the whole church, especially its servants the preachers. – Geoff Thomas (Pastor, Alfred Place Baptist Church, Aberystwyth, Wales)

We are thankful to have in these pages the wisdom and experience of a preacher to whom so many of us are indebted. – Iain Murray (Co-Founder of Banner of Truth, Edinburgh, Scotland)

I’m so thankful that Pastor Martin’s years of pastoral experience and wisdom are now being made available to the church in this wonderful book. I believe it will save many ministries and spare many families and churches the grief of burned-out, knocked-out, and washed-out pastors. – David Murray (Professor of Old Testament and Practical Theology, Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary,, Grand Rapids, Michigan)

About the Author

Albert N. Martin served as pastor of Trinity Baptist Church in Montville, New Jersey, for more than forty years and he taught Pastoral Theology in the Trinity Ministerial Academy for twenty years. Esteemed by leading theologians and pastors, his preaching is the subject of a book, My Heart for Thy Cause (ISBN 978-1-85792-716-0).