Fortress Press

“Ministers, like all Christians, need to pray. Yet they often need help to pray as they yearn to do. Generations have found this classic a faithful companion through each week, through the Christian year, and through the dimensions of pastoral vocation—all in conversation with Scripture and the church’s wisdom. This affectionate update freshens language and expands sources to reflect ministry in our time, when ministers are more diverse but prayer is as urgent as ever.”

“Minister’s Prayer Book has supported me and countless others for many years. Its organizing principle of Scripture, prayer, and meditation is fundamentally right. This pastoral guide now reappears in a thoughtfully updated version, its classical structure intact but with the addition of new prayers and contemporary voices. It is a reclaimed treasure. I will be using it again on a daily basis. It belongs in every minister’s hands—and heart.” 

“After four decades in ministry, I still find that one simple practice has grounded me on both the best days and the most challenging days. Reading a daily devotion, drawn from Holy Scripture and a rich array of theological writings and prayers, has been my practice for many years. This revised version of Doberstein’s Minister’s Prayer Book, enhanced by new selections and fresher language, holds a treasure trove for pastors, deacons, and all Christians. Open it and see.”

“Here, prayer and preaching are grounded in God’s down-to-earth gospel, not in mystical flights of the soul. With Luther and Bonhoeffer, Doberstein guides the minister ‘to know the blessings of God’s word, heard personally in all its severity and love.’ This revised edition is a gift to a new generation.”

"If you find prayer difficult, this book is for you. If you find prayer easy, this book is for you. If you are dry in prayer, you will find this book a font. If your prayer flows, you will find fresh streams. New, old, and ancient prayers have been carefully selected and brilliantly arranged, well-suited for both rookie and veteran ministers as a resource in their service to others and even more so in the enrichment of their own prayer life."

“As a young pastor, I searched in vain for a faithful and effective devotional book compatible with Lutheran theology, liturgical rhythms, and the fast pace of ministry. This resource fulfills that ministry-long search. Updated with contemporary writers and the introduction of women’s voices, this revision of a classic provides adaptable methods and materials that support today’s demanding, uncharted ministries in mission. It engages a foundational gift of the Reformation: spirituality solidly grounded in God’s word. I heartily recommend it and will use it for pastoral formation with the seminarians I teach.”

“This revised edition makes a devotional classic available to a new generation of ministers. Those of us who have found the riches of the Minister’s Prayer Book to be helpful in all phases of our vocation will find it now has been coordinated with the Common Lectionary and has brought new voices into its collection of readings. It meets the many challenges specific to ministry with the rich spiritual resources of every age—including our own.”