"This book made me want to persevere, to finish the race, to run a long obedience in the same direction, and even to lengthen my stride with each passing year. There’s a timeless quality to Perseverance. In a world (and Church) oversaturated with untested ideas, Perseverance speaks an ancient message to the soul that’s been bruised, stretched, and dazzled by the pastoral vocation. Particularly, the book’s latter chapters spoke personally and profoundly to me, piercing the veneer of our cultural moment with timeless wisdom."

“I used to take it for granted that I would finish well. How could I not? But the intervening years have convinced me that most don't finish well, and that I'm in danger myself due to my own sinfulness and blind spots. That's why I'm so grateful for Perseverance. As a wise and insightful pastor, Jon Thompson guides us through the issues every leader must address. It's like sitting down with a trusted friend who understands, cares, and wants to help us stay faithful to the end. Don't just read this book. Pray through it. Meditate on it. Apply it. And aim, with God's help, to finish well. ”

“I was going to do a skim read but found myself drawn into the depths of Bible study and reflection again and again so it took a lot longer to read! Jon embodies the title and themes of this book in his own life and ministry and I am grateful that he has written it. Packed full of practical wisdom and substantial reflection, Perseverance is a call to keep going along the long road of faithfulness — even in the face of turbulent and challenging times — so that we might finish well. ”

"The Church of Jesus Christ is — as Screwtape put it in Lewis' masterful work The Screwtape Letters — "spread out through all time and space and rooted in eternity, terrible as an army with banners". The senior demon goes on to say, "I confess, (the church) is a spectacle which makes our boldest tempters uneasy". That's not what you and I can see in this current moment. We look like a mess. Between divisions, scandals, deconstruction and a generation bailing on the church we look poor, pitiful and weak. How are pastors meant to not just survive but thrive in this moment? It is our moment. Those of us called by God into vocational ministry are a major part of God's offensive strategy to seek and save the lost. I'm grateful for pastors like Jon Thompson who has faithfully and vibrantly led for over 25 years in one of the more secular cities in North America. He has distilled from his experience and intimacy with Jesus 15 crucial reflections that I believe will steel your spine to lead with conviction and courage through these turbulent times."

“In a world where we desperately need the gift of the pastor and those who reflect Jesus’ shepherd heart, Jon Thompson writes this theologically compelling set of reflections on the life of following Christ in the office of pastor. Rich with the wisdom of one who has walked through the real difficulty of building the Church with Jesus Christ today in an unstable saeculum vying to distract us from God’s ways, Thompson recentres us on the still point which remains unchanged in Christ.”

“I live in my middle chapters, formed enough to know my identity, yet longing for more - more of the presence and power of the Spirit, more holiness, more of the life of Christ in my own ministry and in my companions. Jon has written the book I longed to read in my middle chapters; honest, insightful, prophetic. For my friends who are starting their journey as leaders, read it as a clarion call to your future. For my companions in the middle places, read it as a compelling vision of carrying the grace God has given us and persevering. For the generation a step ahead, may it call your life to a renewal of grace.”

“There is an honest, practical, and deeply spiritual conversation around pastoral resilience that you and I need to have. Jon speaks from the perspective of a pastor immersed in post-Christian culture into the hearts of those of us not only called…but called to persevere. He invites us into a new season of sanctification and purpose, courage and tribulation, compassion and truth. You don’t read this book, you feed on it... ”