Five Ministry Killers And How To Defeat Them

Before pastors reach burnout and leave the ministry, they experience frustration and disappointment in ministry. Charles Stone, a veteran pastor, helps his fellow pastors understand and meet the challenges, regaining hope and energy to continue in their calling. Based on new information from The Barna Group and additional research, Stone shows readers what pastors are saying about ministry and how to overcome the obstacles, rebuild community within the congregation, and persevere with joy.

God is asking His church to see the wounded soldiers of the cross through His eyes and asking the ever-important question to those engaged in this battle called life: "In your opinion, can the fallen church members ever be used by Me in the pulpits and ministry again?" We are being challenged by the Most High God to restore the fallen soldiers of the cross in the spirit of meekness, considering themselves also vulnerable to temptation. As time draws near to the final call and the church prays for an end-time revival, it is time to become the revival we are praying for.

What does it take to have fruitful ministry over the long haul? The stresses of pastoring are well known and can be a match for even the best-prepared, most experienced in ministry--multiple tasks, long hours, taxing responsibilities and, yes, some challenging personalities. Too often the results can be burnout, being run out or just feeling worn out. To find out how pastors can thrive as well as survive, the authors undertook a five-year in-depth research project among working pastors. Here in this ground-breaking book is the distilled wisdom of dozens of pastors who have been on the front lines of ministry. We hear from them what works, what doesn't and what distinctive issues people in ministry face. The authors uncover five key themes that promote healthy, sustainable ministry that lasts--spiritual formation, self-care, emotional and cultural intelligence, marriage and family, leadership and management. These themes are unpacked from the vantage point of ministry on the ground. Questions for personal evaluation and reflection are included throughout the book to bring home the significance of each section. This is the perfect companion for a peer cohort of pastors to read together. It can also be of value to church boards and others who want to better understand how to help sustain their pastors in ministry. In short, this is a book pastors can't live without.

Clergy Killers offers remedial strategies for pastors and congregations who want to protect themselves against the abuse of parishioners with personality disorders, mental illnesses, and mean streaks in situations that go well beyond mere church conflict.

A compassionate, shame-free guide for your darkest days “A one-of-a-kind book . . . to read for yourself or give to a struggling friend or loved one without the fear that depression and suicidal thoughts will be minimized, medicalized or over-spiritualized.”—Kay Warren, cofounder of Saddleback Church What happens when loving Jesus doesn’t cure you of depression, anxiety, or suicidal thoughts? You might be crushed by shame over your mental illness, only to be told by well-meaning Christians to “choose joy” and “pray more.” So you beg God to take away the pain, but nothing eases the ache inside. As darkness lingers and color drains from your world, you’re left wondering if God has abandoned you. You just want a way out. But there’s hope. In I Love Jesus, But I Want to Die, Sarah J. Robinson offers a healthy, practical, and shame-free guide for Christians struggling with mental illness. With unflinching honesty, Sarah shares her story of battling depression and fighting to stay alive despite toxic theology that made her afraid to seek help outside the church. Pairing her own story with scriptural insights, mental health research, and simple practices, Sarah helps you reconnect with the God who is present in our deepest anguish and discover that you are worth everything it takes to get better. Beautifully written and full of hard-won wisdom, I Love Jesus, But I Want to Die offers a path toward a rich, hope-filled life in Christ, even when healing doesn’t look like what you expect.

Every leader desires to be a healthy one, while every follower wants his leader to be healthy. The presence of healthy leaders brings blessing and peace to the community, while their absence results in much pain for the people and dysfunctionality for the organization. But, what does ¿healthy¿ mean? Humble, gentle, protective, upright, honest, decisive, able to teach, responsible, visionary, self-giving... the list can go on and on. However, the longer the list, the less likely we¿ll be motivated to try to become such a leader ¿ how can one ever achieve such an ocean of virtues?This book presents an alternative! Every characteristic of a healthy leader falls into five categories: Christ, Community, Character, Calling and Competencies. This ConneXions model offers us a biblical and distilled conceptual framework to understand the nature of a ¿healthy¿ leader:An effective, healthy Christian leader is a man or woman who knows God, was formed and lives in supportive and accountable community, has strong character, knows the purpose of God and presents it with credibility, clarity and passion, and has the necessary gifts, skills and knowledge to lead the people in the accomplishment of this purpose ¿ and is continually growing in all five areas. This book describes a clear and reachable goal of life transformation for everyone who desires to grow; moreover, its inspiring teaching will nurture and ignite your inner motivation to pursue this transformation. You can become a great leader, a healthy leader!