Book Review: The Small Town Lutheran Church & Pastor, by Heath Curtis

What makes for a good theological conference and a good read in theology are, in my opinion, the same, and there are only two ways this is possible. One is a discussion of a topic at a depth I have never taken the time to wade into or failed to understand completely. The other is looking at a well-known and often-discussed topic with new lenses to uncover things previously missed or to make applications and connections previously not made. Books, I think, fall into these categories also.

This is why I read with great interest Heath Curtis’ new book The Small Town Lutheran Church and Pastor: A Concise Pastoral Theology for Pastors and Boards of Elders. And in this case, I think he accomplishes both. He discusses well-known topic with pastoral theology through a lens that highlights what makes small town ministry unique. But he also offers, even in this short volume, deep theological insights and diagnoses of something that for some might come as second nature, depending upon where one grew up.

Typical of Curtis’ style, his arguments are concise, his application clear, and his prose eminently readable. He doesn’t wax poetic, but gives us the facts, elaborates on what those facts indicate, and offers clear, practical, and actionable advice on bringing the task of pastoral ministry to bear in this context — which is the highest probability within The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod.

While many within the LCMS look around at the stats of the typical small town parish with fear and foreboding, Curtis sees something else at work if you put in the work: optimism and hope. The small town parish is not where pastoral ministry dies but actually thrives. “There’s gold in them thar hills.”

For anyone who is engaged in the pastoral ministry in a small town setting, this is a must read. I’ve been serving in a small town for almost fifteen years, and while much I had learned by experience, had I read a book like this upon entering the office of the ministry, I just might have saved myself and my people some difficult times. But this book also has something to offer the pastor in a larger setting. Sometimes churches despite their locale still have a small-town culture. It behooves the serious pastor to take up this volume and see what they might have missed and perhaps delve into a subject they have hitherto not given much thought. You will find that Curtis’ optimism and hope are not misplaced and that it is contagious.

A note from Pastor Curtis:

“While the book is available at Amazon for those who wish to have a copy in print or on Kindle, I'm sending a pdf copy for you to post for your readers to download and share as they see fit. This little book is a passion project and not really a commercial endeavor. It's dedicated to my former field workers and summer vicars and I hope it can be of use to all small town pastors and boards of elders. As I write in the introduction, it's a love letter to small town America and the Lutheran churches that serve there. - +HRC"

You can read this in paperback and Kindle by purchasing this at Amazon, or by downloading a free PDF HERE.