Arch Hart, professor of psychology and dean of the graduate school of psychology at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California, has focused much of his research and writing on the hazards of being a minister. Among his own books are Coping with Depression in the Ministry and Helping Professions and The Hidden Link Between Adrenalin and Stress, both published by Word. He recommends the following books:
Pastor as Person: Maintaining Personal Integrity in the Choices and Challenges of Ministry by Gary L. Harbaugh (Augsburg).
Many of the problems pastors experience arise when they forget they are persons. Forgetting this, they easily neglect themselves and start down the road to stress and burnout.
I appreciate this book’s emphasis on becoming a whole person-in Christ. Not being taught in seminary to maintain themselves, pastors tend to down-play their legitimate human needs. They need to take care of their physical well-being. Many years of clinical experience with pastors and their families has convinced me this book is right on target.
Harbaugh illustrates from the lives of pastors, touching on significant issues-stress, dependency, relating, feeling, and thinking.
Make Anger Your Ally: Harnessing Our Most Baffling Emotion by Neil Clark Warren (Doubleday).
Of all the emotions that erode strength, anger must top the list. I have met few ministers who are not hurting deeply from interpersonal conflicts and tensions. Knowing how to constructively cope with anger is essential for healthy ministry.
A psychotherapist experienced with ministers, Warren has written a comprehensive and sensitive book that provides suggestions for channeling anger constructively. He describes the various unhealthy ways of handling anger and then points to principles of anger management, such as organizing your anger-aggression values, keeping an anger diary, and learning how to forgive.
Beyond Assertiveness by David Augsburger and John Faul (Calibre Books) and Speak Up! Christian Assertiveness by Randolph K. Sanders and H. Newton Malony (Westminster).
Much secular teaching on assertiveness creates a selfish and self-seeking mindset. Yet pastors need godly assertiveness to survive in a secular world.
Both of these books emphasize the role of Christian love in relationships. Churches need assertive leadership.
Not to be assertive in a Christian way is to be dishonest and hurtful. Pastors must be able to set limits on the many demands made on them, to say no more often, and to openly deal with expectations and conflicts.
They can avoid being overly assertive (which offends people) and aggressively assertive (which hurts people) by applying basic Christian principles from these books.
Clergywomen: Problems and Satisfactions by Harry Hale, Jr., Morton King, and Doris Moreland Jones (CSS of Ohio).
Women in ministry face unique stresses and need special help in maintaining their energy and endurance. I’ve found this book helpful in my seminars with such women. It identifies the key persons who can help or hinder them in their career and points out the problems and satisfactions that can be expected.
Women ministers will see that their ambivalence and conflicts are shared by many other women. Male clergy working with women staff members may find the book helpful in understanding their female colleagues.
Developing Spiritually and Professionally by William M. Moreman (Westminster).
This book explores the interplay, tension, and integration of the professional and spiritual aspects of the minister’s life and work.
The chapters set up the two dimensions in interesting ways: Upgrading skills is set alongside deepening awareness; studying alongside meditation; planning alongside praying; and our bodies alongside the temple of the Holy Spirit. These contrasts can help pastors find a balance that is energy preserving and restoring.
32 Summer LEADERSHIP/86
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