Michael Todd Wilson and Brad Hoffman, Preventing Ministry Failure: A ShepherdCare Guide for Pastors, Ministers and Other Caregivers. IVP Books, 2007. Referenced: Ministry Burnout, Preventing and Overcoming Ministry Transitions and Interim Ministry LifeandLeadership.com Summary Experienced senior pastor, Brad Hoffman, and licensed professional counselor, Michael Wilson, write out of their experiences in ShepherdCare, a ministry to
Anne Jackson, Mad Church Disease: Overcoming the Burnout Epidemic. Zondervan, 2009. Referenced in: Preventing and Overcoming Ministry Burnout LifeandLeadership.com Summary There are several good texts that address burnout, but in my opinion, this is the best, especially for those who have been wounded in relation to the church. It underscores what many people connected to
Richard A. Swenson, Margin: Restoring Emotional, Physical, Financial, and Time Reserves to Overloaded Lives. NavPress Publishing Group, 2004. Referenced in: Minister Self-Care LifeandLeadership.com Summary Swenson is physician and medical educator who practiced for fifteen years and then began researching and writing about the intersection of culture and life. In this best-selling book, originally published in
Roy Oswald, Clergy Self-Care: Finding a Balance for Effective Ministry. Alban Institute, 1995. Referenced in: Minister Self-Care LifeandLeadership.com Summary Oswald, as Senior Consultant with the Alban Institute, argues that many ministers adopt of a view of self-sacrifice that is both biblically unintended and destructive to one’s personhood. This faulty perspective simply adds to the already
Donald R. Hands and Wayne L. Fehr, Spiritual Wholeness for Clergy: A New Psychology of Intimacy with God, Self and Others. Alban Institute, 1994. Referenced in: Minister Self-Care LifeandLeadership.com Summary A result of the authors’ work with troubled ministers, this insightful book begins with a summary of the theological, psychological and spiritual factors contributing to
Gwen Wagstrom Halaas, M.D. The Right Road: Life Choices for Clergy. Augsburg Fortress, 2004. Referenced in: Minister Self-Care LifeandLeadership.com Summary The special contribution of this book is the focus on the physical well-being of ministers. Halaas is a family physician and medical educator who since 2001 has directed the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America’s (ELCA)
Paul C. Clayton, Called for Life: Finding Meaning in Retirement. Alban Institute, 2008. Referenced in: Minister Self-Care LifeandLeadership.com Summary This is one of only a handful of books written on minister retirement. Gwen Halaas in Clergy, Retirement, and Wholeness, offers the wisdom of a medical doctor. Clayton, on the other hand, writes as a retired
Steve R. Bierly, How to Thrive as a Small-Church Pastor. Zondervan, 1998. Referenced in: Small Church Leadership LifeandLeadership.com Summary Few authors are able to make the kind of deep emotional connection with small church leaders than Bierly. His passion for small church ministry bleeds into this volume that is designed to help small church ministers
Ray S. Anderson, Self-Care: A Theology of Personal Empowerment and Spiritual Healing. Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2000. Referenced in: Minister Self-Care LifeandLeadership.com Summary This book approaches self-care not so much with a view toward preventing burnout, but of being a healthier self overall. Anderson says, “The purpose of this book is to explore the innate
Rochelle Melander and Harold Eppley, The Spiritual Leader’s Guide to Self-Care. Alban Institute, 2002. Referenced in: Minister Self-Care LifeandLeadership.com Summary This is probably the most user-friendly workbook on minister self-care. Like all other guides of this nature, it is not a substitute for other helping relationships one may need during a time of burnout, but
