Blaine Allen, Before You Quit – When Ministry is Not What You Thought. Kregel Academic and Professional, 2001.
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LifeandLeadership.com Summary
This volume emerged out of Allen’s experience of wanting to quit but feeling compelled to stick it out. He is both sensitive to the emotions of pastors who want to quit and tough-minded in leading them to reevaluate their call and commitment in stressful times. Allen is especially good at helping minister’s adjust their expectations, evaluate the roots of dissatisfaction, and honestly assess physical, emotional, and spiritual strength. This book is deeply biblical, spiritually convicting and challenging on the subject of God’s call.
From the Publisher
If serving God is so wonderful, why are today’s leaders exiting the ministry in droves? If serving God is so rewarding, why is everyone else’s church growing?
Ministry is wonderful when there’s encouragement and appreciation. Serving God is rewarding when the congregation is spiritually hungry and ready to change.
Ministry is not so nice when disappointment, heartache, and even tears destroy your spiritual equilibrium. You are battered and close to beaten. You long to taste the thrill of spiritual victory in your ministry, but instead are all too familiar with the agony of defeat. What do you do when you want to walk away, throw in the towel, even give up the ministry ghost?
Beleaguered servants of God need Blaine Allen’s heartfelt insights and Scripture’s biblical principles as they come face to face with some of the toughest issues of ministry -confrontation, gossip, critics, and burnout-and seek to make a decision based on sound thinking and the Holy Spirit’s leading.
About the Author
Blaine Allen (Th.M., Dallas Theological Seminary; D.Min., New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary) vowed he would never stand before an audience again after a second grade disaster. It’s ironic that he is now a pastor speaking publicly at least three times a week. He loves his current pastorate in central Mississippi, but his ministry has not always been this peaceful. Blaine has seen the ugly side of ministry and been forced to survive the spiritual shoot-outs, emotional bullets, stubborn-as-a-mule church boards, and the ‘this church ain’t big enough for the both of us’ mentalities.
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