Both/And Ministry

Kanishka Raffel

With a heart for those who exercise any kind of Christian ministry or leadership, Millar writes with compassion, encouragement and insight to guide his readers into the joy of both Jesus’ completed work for us and his continual work in us. Both/And Ministry does more than call out the error of the Christian ‘pendulum swing’ that constantly oscillates between two half-truths—it directs us into fullness of life in Christ.

Jane Tooher

A realistic and gracious book that helps you better understand God’s character, his work, and who you are—and that helps you better reconcile the paradox that although living as a Christian is difficult at times, it is a life full of joy. Gary Millar has written an immensely practical book that will bless many as they are convicted and comforted by our Lord Jesus Christ.

“Both for the Glory of God and the Good of Others”

In Both/And Ministry, Gary Millar teaches you how to live and lead like Jesus.

Millar teaches his readers how to pursue the tensions that are present in Christian life and ministry. While the subject matter is theological, Millar stays practical and writes with candor. Ministry is “the stuff you do at church,” and I appreciated his down-to-earth writing.

The book opened my eyes to see that this both/and reality is thoroughly biblical. Millar is nuanced, bringing various passages to light with thoughtful interpretation.


Both for the Glory of God and the Good of Others

I was most interested to read about both/and ministry. It is both dependent on God and committed to working hard. It is both confident and humble. I thought about how while I sought to be faithful with the gifts God has given me, he has also given me more opportunities to serve him and grow me as I want to be ready to do anything.

I was most surprised to read about both/and leadership. While I had heard of servant leadership, I was surprised to see that there is much more. It is both theologically driven and practically wise. It is both patient and urgent. In my own leadership, I saw how I can be perceived as both “one of us” and “set apart.”

The book ends by saying both/and ministry is the pathway to authenticity, joy, and lifelong growth. I came away with a deeper appreciation and understanding of how both/and ministry can be both for the glory of God and the good of others.


I received a media copy of Both/AndMinistry and this is my honest review.

“Quick and Helpful Resource”

The Christian life and Christian ministry are a both/and situation. I think most people are familiar with the term 'now and not yet' as it pertains to the kingdom of God. But I loved how this book broke the both/and down into specific areas of ministry and made them really personal. This is a quick read that sparks a lot of personal reflection. I think it's a great resource for slowing down and considering the complexities of Christian ministry.

“Great Resource for Leaders”

The back cover description for this book immediately caught my attention. The difference between an Either/Or attitude and a Both/And attitude. Seems like the difference may be minimal and insignificant, but Millar extracts the pertinence of our need to be both/and as called by God.

I think the concept of this book has been a struggle for many leaders for a long time but often difficult to verbalize. This book does a great job of unpacking the details of that struggle for leaders to understand and sift through.

The concept itself is the tension naturally created between characteristics that seem incompatible. The back cover description gives the following examples: confident vs. humble, theologically driven vs. practically wise. We are called to be all of these but often can't figure out how to practically live them out together.

This book was extremely eye-opening for me as it walks through Scripture to reconcile the tensions we navigate with our calling to be Christ-like.

Millar structures the book with an introduction and seven chapters. He interweaves Scripture, real life experiences, practical visuals, and more.

I think this is a great read for all people who are in any leadership role to help navigate the complexities of living the Christian life with excellence.

I received a copy of this book from The Good Book Company in exchange for an honest review.

“A Helpful Leadership Resource”

When in leadership, it's easy to sway too far in one direction with various dichotomies. We can stray so far into urgency and rush to get everything done that we forget to be patient. We can be so focused on growing a church that develops its members in discipleship that we forget that our mission is also to go out and share our faith with those who need to hear it. This short book is a helpful primer as we think about what it means to be a "fully-formed follower of Jesus", learning to balance these things well so that we can be both strong and weak, leading and serving, theological and practical. It would be a helpful read for church leadership teams to consider together, or perhaps for a homegroup together too

“Good Reminders for Ministry Leaders”

In this concise but much-needed book, Millar speaks to the challenges of church ministry, specifically in leadership. His writing is easily digestible, I felt like he was speaking to me as a mentor or friend, sharing his experience so that others could be encouraged and learn.

I needed the reminder that teachers/preachers also need to be sitting under someone's teaching. Like Millar, I am guility of always stepping to answer in a small group, or being overly willing to be the teacher instead of the student.

Both practical and theologically grounded--- this would be a good gift to give someone going into ministry, or stepping into a leadership role.

“A Balanced Approach to Christian Leadership”

Maybe you’ve noticed, but there is this constant tension in the Christian life as we think of who we are and who the Lord is. God is both loving, yet wrathful. He is Merciful, yet just. We are redeemed, yet sinners. We are citizens of heaven, yet we dwell here on Earth. In a similar vein, Millar brings out the existing tension we often face practically as ministers and pastors of God’s church. One example he offers is that we are “Both dependent on God and Committed to Working Hard.” This book offered a refreshing take on the intricacies of pastoral work that didn’t assume we need to be more of one thing than another. Millar offers a well-rounded and humble approach to the Christian ministry and I imagine I will be recommending this book for many years to come.

“Holding truth and love together in ministry”

Ministry isn’t an either/or calling—it’s both/and. This book explores the balance between preaching and pastoring, doctrine and discipleship, truth and love. It’s not just theory—it’s about real, practical ministry that holds tightly to the Word while caring deeply for people.

“Useful ministry resource”

This book dives into the tension of the Christian life where there are often many things we are holding at one time seeking to balance appropriately as we live out our faith.
As I read through this book there were many conversations I remember having with our staff team when I was on staff with a campus ministry. I thought about how this book could have been a useful resource for our team as a way to start the conversation and discuss different topics.
Some of the examples Miller discusses I thought were great while others I found myself wanting more from the example. However, if you were planning to go through this with a ministry team you are on, this I think works well because it does provide that opportunity to be a conversation starter but isn’t the end place.
At the end of each chapter, there is a quiz in which you can rank your views and what was discussed in the chapter. This looks much better in the print format than the ebook format since the pages line up in the print format. In the ebook format, I did find myself being confused initially until I compared to the print version and saw how they lined up which in my opinion allowed for some of the questions/rankings to make more sense overall.
A quote I thought summed up the idea of the book well is “The health of our Christian life depends on both remembering who we are in Christ (Spirit-created, indwelt and empowered people who are already like Jesus in lots of ways) and seeing the ways in which we continue to live in ways which don’t fit with who we are (because of our sinful muscle memory and unruly desires). We need to look in the mirror and see both of these things at the same time.”