Preventing Ministry Failure: A ShepherdCare Guide for Pastors, Ministers and Other Caregivers - Softcover

Wilson, Michael Todd; Hoffmann, Brad

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0830834443 ISBN 13: 9780830834440

Publisher: IVP, 2007

Synopsis

Great ministers don't just happen. Great falls from ministry don't just happen either. A complex mix of factors both internal and external test the limits of your ability to minister wholeheartedly over the long haul. Senior pastor Brad Hoffmann and licensed professional counselor Michael Todd Wilson work with pastors removed from their place of service. The common experiences of these pastors revealed patterns that consistently contributed to burnout, ineffectiveness and moral failure. If such patterns can be predicted, the authors reasoned, can they be prevented?Preventing Ministry Failure is a personal guidebook for pastors and other caregivers to prepare them to withstand common pressures and to flourish in the ministry God has called them to. Work through the exercises and reflections individually or in conversation with your peers, and you'll find yourself better equipped for the challenges of vocational ministry, and more conscious of the presence of God leading you on and restoring your soul.

About this title

About the Author:

Michael Todd Wilson is a licensed professional counselor and cofounder of ShepherdCare. He is the coauthor of Soul Virgins: Redefining Single Sexuality (Baker Books).

Review:

Highly recommended for not only those who are Christian leaders, but also for those who have that aspiration. (M. G. Paregian, The Paregian Information and Referral Directory, July 2009)

Wilson and Hoffmann give pastors a practical plan they can apply to their lives. Ministers can adopt these action points as they work toward healthy and happy marriages and families while serving in minstry for a lifetime. (Wayde Goodall, enrichment, Winter 2009)

Drawing upon years of experience in counseling pastoral leaders, Michael Todd Wilson and Brad Hoffman offer their insights to those facing challenges in ministry. Preventing Ministry Failure is a workbook for Christian leaders providing practical advice to pastors who are experieincing trials - or simply hoping to avoid them. As they discuss topics ranging from intimacy and stress management to establshing proper boundaries and dealing with transitions, scarecly any aspect of ministry is left unmentioned. Each section is filled with helpful questions for reflection. (David Rogers, Ministry Today, (ministrytodaymag.com), October 2008)

This book is from the heart of two men who care deeply about the ministry and those who minister. Application is practical. I recommend that pastors use this practical tool to do an "inventory check" on their lives and perform some preventative maintenance before they find themselves in the throes of a failed ministry. (Douglas Brown, SharperIron Book Reviews, May 15, 2008)

. . .a great encouragement to those in vocational Christian service. The self-care measures in this book should go a long way in helping Christian minstry workers care for themselves. (The Baptist Bulletin, March/April 2008)

"Pastors need relationships with other pastors. It's that simple. This book provides a great resource for a small group of pastors to go through together. The material focuses on seven common precursors to ministry failure, including lack of meaningful relationships, inadequate stress-management skills, and underdeveloped leadership skills. Besides being ideal for small groups of ministers (or church staff members), it's also a nice guide for a more experienced pastor to go through with a novice pastor in a mentoring session." (Rick Warren's Ministry Toolbox)

"Drawing upon years of experience in counseling pastoral leaders, Michael Todd Wilson and Brad Hoffman offer their insights to those facing challenges in ministry. . . . [S]carcely any aspect of ministry is left unmentioned. Each section is filled with helpful questions for reflection." (Ministry Today, November/December 2007)

"The Bible clearly tells us that in this world we will have trouble, and those in ministry are not exempt from it. We all experience trials and temptations, and are faced with difficult choices related to our human struggles. Michael Todd Wilson and Brad Hoffmann understand this and have done an excellent job sharing a biblical perspective on avoiding the all-too-common pitfalls of ministry that can lead to destruction. The wisdom and insight found in this book has helped me become a more effective leader and minister." (Alan Chambers, President, Exodus International)

"Thirty years ago the moral failure of my second senior pastor forced me to start working with adultery in ministry. I wish I had had this material then. After years of everyone telling us pastors that we need to be in a small group where we can be open and vulnerable, Michael Todd Wilson and Brad Hoffmann finally provide for us a guide that not only tells us but shows us how to do that. I know of nothing else like it for those of us in vocational Christian ministry, and I can't wait to use it in my own group." (Dave Carder, author of Torn Asunder: Recovering from Extramarital Affairs)

"In a day where senior pastors and ministers alike are reading, collecting and gathering materials from books, CDs and seminars for the benefit of someone else, Brad Hoffmann and Michael Todd Wilson have written an excellent self-help book for the minister himself. These seven reasons why ministers struggle, quit, resign or are forced out of ministry have been identified and analyzed, and a course of action recommended for the health and happiness of the minister's home and family.

The book moves beyond the theory to the practical. Trust me, these two have been there, done that and bought the shirt." (Ken Whitten, Senior Pastor, Idlewild Baptist Church, Lutz, Florida)

About this edition

• Publisher: IVP
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 0830834443
• ISBN 13: 9780830834440
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 265