When Bad Churches Happen to Good Pastors

by David Frisbie

Overview

Why do so many pastors leave ministry?The average pastor stays at a church for only three and a half years.Studies show a pastor's most effective ministry begins after five to seven years at a church.We have a disconnect. How can our churches grow when our leaders are leaving before their ministries can bear fruit?In When Bad Churches Happen to Good Pastors, David and Lisa Frisbie address these and other thought-provoking issues relating to clergy attrition, including: When one family controls the churchHandling conflict in a difficult pastoral assignmentDealing with a church bossMinistering to wounded pastorsWhether you're a church leader whose pastors are departing or a pastor who has moved from church to church, you'll discover insights to help you handle the situations when pastors leave ministry.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780834133600
Publisher:	Foundry Publishing
Publication date:	10/01/2014
Pages:	192
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

DAVID AND LISA FRISBIE are authors of 15 published books on topics of marriage and family life. They have been frequent contributors to published journals, including ParentLife, Outreach Magazine, Holiness Today, and BabyLife. They have also been named and quoted in USA Today, The New York Times and been interviewed on CBS-radio, ABC-TV national broadcast, and "MoneyLife" with Chuck Bentley. They currently serve as Coordinators of Marriage and Family Ministries for the Global Church of the Nazarene. To date, their ministry has taken them all 50 U.S. states, 9 provinces and 2 territories of Canada, and more than 40 world nations.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments 15

1 From Genesis to Exodus: After Bright Beginnings, Why Do So Many Pastors Leave the Ministry? 19

2 Missing the Promised Land: The Consequences and Outcomes of Short-Term Pastorates and Ministries 34

3 Lamentations: Pain, Regret, and Damage Control after a Ministry Ends 51

4 Prophets, Priests, and Kings: Power, Control, and Expectations in Ministry 71

5 Dynasty: When One Family Controls the Church 91

6 Dukes of Hazard: Dealing with a Church Boss 108

7 Gunsmoke: Are Shoot-Outs in the Corral Really OK? 125

8 M*A*S*H: When Pastors Are Among the Wounded 143

9 Learning from Clergy Attrition: Patterns and Principles 164

Notes 183

About the Authors 185