Mad Church Disease

Growing up the daughter of a pastor, Anne Jackson experienced firsthand the conflict, stress, and struggle church leaders often face. She vowed her life in ministry would be different. Yet, years later, as a church leader, she was hospitalized because stress began wreaking havoc on her body. After being released from the hospital, an associate pastor asked her, 'Does working at this church interfere with your communion with Christ?' The question was aramount in turning her life around. Thinking she wasn't alone, Anne developed a website that allowed church leaders to share their struggles. Within a few days, she was flooded with over a thousand responses from people pouring out their stories of burnout. Using anecdotal parallels between Mad Cow Disease and leadership trends in the church, she writes not only to help us realize what church leaders are facing, but also to provide practical and positive treatment plans. Mad Church Disease is a lively, informative, and potentially life-saving resource for anyone in ministry---vocational or volunteer---who would like to understand, prevent, or treat the epidemic of burnout in church culture.

Does serving in the church hurt your relationship with Christ? That question may have saved author Anne Marie Miller's life. She believes it could save yours, too.As the daughter of a pastor, Anne saw firsthand the struggles leaders face and the toll it takes on their families. She vowed her life in ministry would be different.Yet, years later, as a church leader, she was hospitalized because stress began wreaking havoc on her body. She had burned out.Anne developed a website that allowed church leaders to share their struggles. Within a few days, she was flooded with over a thousand responses from people pouring out their stories of pain.Mad Church Disease, born out of that experience, is a lively, informative, and potentially life-saving resource for anyone who has ever stepped foot in a church who would like to understand, prevent, or treat the epidemic of burnout in church culture.

This annual bestselling resource for preachers provides a planned preaching program for an entire year, including Sunday morning, Sunday evening, and midweek sermons as well as helps for special occasions such as weddings, funerals, and youth meetings.

Introverts are called and gifted by God. But many churches tend to be extroverted places where introverts are marginalized. Some Christians end up feeling like it's not as faithful to be an introvert. Adam McHugh shows how introverts can live and minister in ways consistent with their personalities. He explains how introverts and extroverts process information and approach relationships differently and how introverts can practice Christian spirituality in ways that fit who they are. With practical illustrations from church and parachurch contexts, McHugh offers ways for introverts to serve, lead, worship and even evangelize effectively. Introverts in the Church is essential reading for any introvert who has ever felt out of place, as well as for church leaders who want to make their churches more welcoming to introverts. Discover God's call and empowering to thrive as an introvert, for the sake of the church and kingdom.

It seems today that people no longer want to actively participate in church. Ask most of those who have abandoned the church and you will hear stories of hypocrisy and church abuse. Long-time believers are ready to walk away out of boredom and frustration. Killed by the Church, Resurrected by Christ seeks to equip people with the principles they need in order to fall in love with the church again in a much healthier way. In this book, you will find stories from around the world and right next door. Stories of all the good the church has to offer and sadly, some of the worst as well. You will discover Biblical principles that relate not only to church, but to our relationship with the body of Christ at large. You will hopefully develop a deeper understanding of your identity in Christ. You will also read of the author’s recovery from “death by church” and his own resurrection by Christ. “Rick takes the reader through a valley of the shadow of death––only, sadly, this valley’s shadow is cast by a series of disastrous church experiences. But through it, he freshly encounters Christ, and learns that surely goodness and mercy follow him all the days of his life, and he will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. This is a book for all those who love the church enough to want the best for it.” Shalom, —Mark Buchanan

"Experienced minister offers insights into frustrations pastors face along with solutions, based on current research from the Barna Group and others"--Provided by publishers.

A life of unanswered questions, broken relationships, and poor decisions disrupts a relationship with God and creates crisis. Deanna Favre, a breast cancer survivor and wife of NFL legend Brett Favre, and Shane Stanford, an HIV-positive minister, have both lived such a life. Chronic hopelessness was part of their everyday lives as it is for many people. But Deanna and Shane discovered the transforming grace and strength of a God who provides answers for questions and possibilities for uncertainties. The Cure for the Chronic Life is a guide for the journey out of hopelessness. In its pages, discover the power of redeeming love and the hope of living in Christ.

When do you learn that "normal" doesn't include lots of yelling, lots of sleep, lots of beating? In Blessed Are the Crazy: Breaking the Silence about Mental Illness, Family, and Church, Sarah Griffith Lund looks back at her father's battle with bipolar disorder, and the helpless sense of déjà vu as her brother and cousin endure mental illness, as well. With a small group study guide and "Ten Steps for Developing a Mental Health Ministry in Your Congregation," Blessed Are the Crazy is more than memoir-it's a resource for churches and other faith-based groups to provide healing and comfort. Part of The Young Clergy Women Project.