Wounded Pastors

Wounded Pastors PDF Author: Carol Howard Merritt
Publisher: Presbyterian Publishing Corp
ISBN: 1646983734
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 210

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Book Description
You’re not alone in your ministry. And you don’t have to suffer in silence. Ministry is a stressful vocation, with unspoken expectations, projected anxieties, and conflicting demands. After the pandemic caused a sudden shift to online worship and factions fighting over when and how to return to in-person worship, pastors have been leaving congregational ministry at even higher rates than usual. The emotional fallout of burnout and abuse at the hands of parishioners is something pastors carry for years, whether they stay or leave the congregation. Seasoned pastor Carol Howard Merritt and psychotherapist and former pastor James Fenimore join their expertise to offer validation, support, and guidance for pastors who have been hurt by the church. With wisdom that can come only from experience, they describe and define aspects of struggle and pain readers may have difficulty articulating or claiming for themselves, and they offer compassionate, informed guidance on how to find healing. A systems approach to conflict sheds light on the dynamics of church conflict and how clergy can tend their own well-being amid leadership challenges. The final chapter helps readers consider their overall vocational path based on what they’ve experienced and decide whether they can remain in congregational ministry or need to pursue a different line of work.

Wounded Pastors

Wounded Pastors PDF Author: Carol Howard Merritt
Publisher: Presbyterian Publishing Corp
ISBN: 1646983734
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 210

Get Book Here

Book Description
You’re not alone in your ministry. And you don’t have to suffer in silence. Ministry is a stressful vocation, with unspoken expectations, projected anxieties, and conflicting demands. After the pandemic caused a sudden shift to online worship and factions fighting over when and how to return to in-person worship, pastors have been leaving congregational ministry at even higher rates than usual. The emotional fallout of burnout and abuse at the hands of parishioners is something pastors carry for years, whether they stay or leave the congregation. Seasoned pastor Carol Howard Merritt and psychotherapist and former pastor James Fenimore join their expertise to offer validation, support, and guidance for pastors who have been hurt by the church. With wisdom that can come only from experience, they describe and define aspects of struggle and pain readers may have difficulty articulating or claiming for themselves, and they offer compassionate, informed guidance on how to find healing. A systems approach to conflict sheds light on the dynamics of church conflict and how clergy can tend their own well-being amid leadership challenges. The final chapter helps readers consider their overall vocational path based on what they’ve experienced and decide whether they can remain in congregational ministry or need to pursue a different line of work.

When Shepherds Weep

When Shepherds Weep PDF Author: Glenn Daman
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781941337431
Category : Church group work
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
The purpose of this book is to help pastors regain their spiritual perspective in the trials of ministry by understanding how suffering is used by God to develop the pastor and the church. It comes along wounded pastors to offer comfort and encouragement.

Fight for Your Pastor

Fight for Your Pastor PDF Author: Peter Orr
Publisher: Crossway
ISBN: 1433584794
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 95

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Book Description
Practical Ways to Support and Care for Your Pastor Do you pray for your pastors? Do you encourage them? Do you have realistic expectations for them? The office of pastor is simultaneously a rewarding and draining position. Pastors today have immense pressure on their shoulders and they need the support of their congregations. Peter Orr has written Fight for Your Pastor as an exhortation for church members to stand behind their pastors through the difficulties of ministry. Orr specifies ways in which congregations can be intentional in caring for church leaders, including prayer, encouragement, generosity, and forgiveness. Featuring stories from current pastors about their struggles, this book is perfect for thoughtful church members eager to understand the weight of their pastors' positions and support leaders in their important ministry. For Thoughtful Christians: Specifically those wanting to know more about their pastors and how to care for them Current: Features insight from pastors about their personal experiences in ministry Applicable: Gives practical examples of how to love and care for pastors, including specific prayers for church leaders and the best ways to encourage them

When Shepherds Bleed

When Shepherds Bleed PDF Author: T. D. Jakes
Publisher: Pneuma Life Pub
ISBN: 9781562294465
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 73

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Book Description
Shepherding is a dangerous profession. Drawing from personal encounters with actual shepherds in Israel and years of ministry, Bishop T.D. Jakes and Stanley Miller provide unique insights into the hazards faced by pastors today.h

Forgiving the Nightmare

Forgiving the Nightmare PDF Author: Mark Sowersby
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781951475185
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 128

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Book Description
Forgiving the Nightmare is a testimony of forgiveness, God's grace, and overcoming in the midst of life's hurts, pains, and abuses. Mark has been rescued from traumatic childhood abuse and restored through the power of God's Word and prayer.

The Wounded Healer

The Wounded Healer PDF Author: Henri J. M. Nouwen
Publisher: Image
ISBN: 0804152071
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 145

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Book Description
A radically fresh interpretation of how we can best serve others from the bestselling author of The Return of the Prodigal Son, hailed as “one of the world’s greatest spiritual writers” by Christianity Today “In our own woundedness, we can become a source of life for others.” In this hope-filled and profoundly simple book, Henri Nouwen inspires devoted men and women who want to be of service in their church or community but who have found traditional outreach alienating and ineffective. Weaving keen cultural analysis with his psychological and religious insights, Nouwen presents a balanced and creative theology of service that begins with the realization of fundamental woundedness in human nature. According to Nouwen, ministers are called to identify the suffering in their own hearts and make that recognition the starting point of their service. Ministers must be willing to go beyond their professional, somewhat aloof roles and leave themselves open as fellow human beings with the same wounds and suffering as those they serve. In other words, we heal from our wounds. The Wounded Healer is a thoughtful and insightful guide that will be welcomed by anyone engaged in the service of others.

Healing

Healing PDF Author: Francis MacNutt
Publisher: Hodder Faith
ISBN: 9780340661406
Category : Healing
Languages : en
Pages : 333

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Book Description
The million-copy bestselling introduction to the healing ministry, re-issued with a beautiful new cover. Does healing happen today? Why is there prejudice against the healing ministry? Why are some people not healed? These topical and vital questions are just some of the issues addressed by Francis MacNutt in Healing. A wideranging and broad-based overview, it is essential reading for all involved in the healing ministry. 'Prayer for healing is so central to the gospel, ' writes MacNutt, 'that it should be an integral part of the life of every community of believers. My heart cries out to see it restored to the place it had in the early Christian church.

The Pastor's Justification

The Pastor's Justification PDF Author: Jared C. Wilson
Publisher: Crossway
ISBN: 1433536676
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 194

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Book Description
Ministry can be brutal. Discouragement, frustration, and exhaustion are common experiences for all church leaders, often resulting in a lack of joy and a loss of focus. Aiming to encourage and strengthen pastors in particular, Jared Wilson helps readers rediscover the soul-satisfying gospel of grace as he creatively merges biblical exposition and personal confession. In addition to covering topics such as holiness, humility, and confidence, Wilson explores the nature of pastoral ministry through the lens of the five solas of the Reformation. Full of real-world examples from the author's own life and ministry, this book reminds all pastors that their justification is not found in ministry success or audience approval, but rather in the finished work of Christ.

Wounded by God's People

Wounded by God's People PDF Author: Anne Graham Lotz
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
ISBN: 0310337542
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 205

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Book Description
Tucked into Abraham's biography is the story of Hagar, a young Egyptian slave with whom Abraham had a son named Ishmael. Hagar stood out because she was wounded--not physically, but in ways that were as emotionally and spiritually painful as any injury to a body would be. Some wounds were provoked by her own bad behavior, but others were inflicted by those who considered themselves God's people. Anne Graham Lotz too has been wounded by God's people. Some wounds have been deeper than others, some have come out of nowhere, and still others have been provoked by her own behavior, but all of the wounds have been deeply painful. They seemed to hurt even more when the wounders wrapped their behavior in a semblance of religion or piety. As Hagar's story unfolds, you will discover that wounded people often become wounders themselves. While Anne identifies with the wounded, the unpleasant reality is that she also identifies with the wounders, because she has been one, too. She knows from experience that wounding is a cycle that needs to be broken. And by God's grace, it can be. Many have had similar experiences. And perhaps you are among those who have been so deeply hurt that you have confused God's imperfect people with God. Maybe you have even run away from God as a result. Or perhaps you have been a wounder to the extent that you are living in a self-imposed exile, believing you are unworthy to be restored to a warm, loving relationship with God or with God's people. Whatever your hurts may be, Wounded by God's People helps you to begin a healing journey--one that enables you to reclaim the joy of God's presence and all the blessings God has for you. God loves the wounded. And the wounders.

The Last Pastor

The Last Pastor PDF Author: Gail Cafferata
Publisher: Westminster John Knox Press
ISBN: 1611649757
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 238

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Book Description
Gail Cafferata was heartbroken when the church she pastored voted to close its doors. It may have been the right decision, but it led to a million questions in her mind about her call, leadership, and future. She began to think that other pastors who close churches perhaps go through this same experience. This led her to conduct a sociological study of over 130 pastors in five historically established denominations (Episcopal, Lutheran, United Methodist, Presbyterian, and United Church of Christ) who were called to serve churches that closed. This book tells the results of that study, which consisted of many interviews, and the hard-won lessons learned by these courageous pastors.