Interview with Steve Paulus

Author of Getting Ordination Right: Essential Elements of Ordination in the Bible an History

Where are you from originally and where do you reside now?

Born in Alexandria, Virginia, currently reside in Staunton, VA.

If you currently reside somewhere besides where you were born, what’s the story that lead from there to here?

I went to the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, where I met my wife. I later studied in Virginia Beach. My family and I lived in Croatia for nearly five years where I served as a seminary dean before accepting a call to pastor a new church in Staunton which is in the Central Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.

What made you decide to write and publish your first book?

I have spent my adult years pastoring non-denominational churches or serving in an interdenominational seminary. The issue of ordination is so crucial to the effectiveness of many churches, yet so poorly understood. As a result of teaching classes and participating in ordination councils I sensed a tremendous need to clarify the issue, especially for churches lacking a strong theology or tradition in this area.

How would you describe your books to first time readers?

Getting Ordination Right addresses the basic questions: What are the essential elements of ordination? How is ordination practiced in the Bible and in the church throughout its history? How should it be practiced today?

Who do you feel is most likely to connect with the topics you write about?

Pastors and leaders of churches who are working through or struggling with the meaning and practice of ordination. Anyone seeking to understand the practice of ordination in the Christian church, and anyone interested in church governance, theology or biblical studies in general would benefit from reading Getting Ordination Right.

What unexpected or surprising thing did you learn during the process of writing and publishing?

The rigorous nature of preparing a final manuscript was not exactly a surprise, but the experience was more demanding than expected. In particular, attention to every detail of grammar and punctuation and searching for errors with the metaphorical fine-toothed comb — and I still missed some! Also, tracking down cited authors for permission to use longer passages was quite interesting and required some sleuthing. I especially enjoyed the interaction I had with one author in particular relating to the subject matter.

If you could, what advice would you give to your past self before embarking on this journey?

I would have added some material in several sections, but was in a hurry to get the work published. The process of editorial review with the publisher is much slower and more tedious than I thought and taking the extra time to put together the additional twenty pages would not have slowed the process down that much.

How many people would you ideally like to reach with your books?

I honestly believe there are tens of thousands of church leaders who could benefit from this book. Finding the time to devote to promotion is the big challenge for me.

What has been the biggest challenge and frustration during the process to date?

Finding the right publisher to work with. This is a self-published hybrid, a common trend in the book market, I think. My first publisher was a start-up which simply could not get the project going — I waited almost a year before switching to Westbow Press. Westbow did an outstanding job and provided excellent guidance and services.

What’s your biggest strengths when it comes to book a) writing, b) publishing and c) marketing?

My biggest strength in writing is that I genuinely enjoy the research process which drives a book like this one.
My biggest strength in publishing is that I had a clear idea of how I wanted the work presented – how it should look on its face.
Marketing is still a challenge but a strength is that I have a clear idea of who would benefit from my book.

What’s your biggest weakness when it comes to book a) writing, b) publishing and c) marketing?

My enjoyment of research sometimes makes it difficult to focus my theme with sufficient clarity.
My weakness in publishing is finding the time and sometimes procrastinating in response to editor’s requests.
Marketing is still a challenge – it requires time to identify and pursue contacts. As with most people, time is in short supply.

When do you think you will write your next book?

Possibly in the next year or two. It’s a question of refining a focused theme that I find inspiring and finding the time to do the research for a non-fiction issue-centered work.

Are you self published or did you use a hybrid publisher, or a traditional publisher?

Westbow Press is a self-publishing division of Zondervan and Thomas Nelson Publishers.