{"id":65623,"date":"2004-06-02T19:00:00","date_gmt":"2004-06-02T19:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/?p=65623"},"modified":"2026-03-17T19:01:44","modified_gmt":"2026-03-17T19:01:44","slug":"mastering-personal-growth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/mastering-personal-growth\/","title":{"rendered":"Mastering Personal Growth"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Has the heat of ministry left you spiritually dry?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Are you feeling parched and weak, as if you\u2019re withering away? That\u2019s a common experience in the pastorate. The fast-paced, never-ending routine of meetings, management, classes, and counseling can hinder those in ministry from taking spiritual root in Christ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many pastors find themselves barely able to maintain the status quo. Still, they feel a longing for more: deep-rootedness in Christ, hearts and minds filled with new life, and a ministry that bears abundant fruit\u2014even in the midst of apparent spiritual drought.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gordon MacDonald, Maxie Dunnam, and Donald McCullough know the intense pressures of the pastorate, and they know how to grow in spite of them. In this book, which completes the twelve-volume Mastering Ministry<\/em> series, the authors discuss how nurturing relationships can energize pastors for ministry, emphasize the importance of finding time for the things that matter, and explain how to monitor body, mind and soul for long-term effectiveness and joy. This valuable book explains how, in spite of appearances, the soil of the pastorate can be fertile ground for rewarding spiritual growth.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Has the heat of ministry left you spiritually dry? Are you feeling parched and weak, as if you\u2019re withering away? That\u2019s a common experience in the pastorate. The fast-paced, never-ending routine of meetings, management, classes, and counseling can hinder those in ministry from taking spiritual root in Christ. Many pastors find themselves barely able to Read more…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"tax_ctp_authors":[],"tax_ctp_books":[348],"tax_ctp_categories":[154],"tax_ctp_field_guide_subcategory":[],"tax_ctp_field_guides":[],"tax_ctp_format":[134],"tax_ctp_multimedia":[],"tax_ctp_point_editor":[],"tax_publications":[156],"tax_ctp_tags":[],"tax_ctp_topics":[],"class_list":["post-65623","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","tax_publications-leadership-journal"],"acf":{"scripture_references":null},"yoast_head":"\nMastering Personal Growth - CT Pastors<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Has the heat of ministry left you spiritually dry? Are you feeling parched and weak, as if you\u2019re withering away? 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