Survive or Thrive: 6 Relationships Every Pastor Needs
The majority of pastors are not truly known—by anyone. They subconsciously isolate themselves from both staff and congregation so their insecurities, doubts, and failures aren’t exposed. Yet confiding in the wrong person can be a dead end at best and disastrous at worst.
Former pastor Jimmy Dodd reveals how those in pastoral ministry can receive ongoing support, accountability, and restoration from relationships with a boss, counselor, trainer, mentor, coach, and good friend. Discover how you can move from surviving to thriving with the six relationships every pastor needs.
Top Highlights
“Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the German pastor who was martyred for resisting the Nazi regime, wrote a classic on fellowship, Life Together. In it, he suggests, ‘Disillusionment with our local church is a good thing because it destroys our false expectations of perfection. The sooner we give up the illusion that a church must be perfect in order to love it, the sooner we quit pretending and start admitting we’re all imperfect and need grace. This is the beginning of real community.’” (source)
“The more exclusive the category of giftedness, the more reluctant people will be to challenge their leadership. The irony is that exactly the opposite is required. The higher the giftedness of an individual, the greater the need for accountability. Or, stated another way, the greater the talent of an individual, the greater the need for corresponding character (much more on this in chapter 2).” (source)
“I need to experience outrage that more than half of those who are called to the pastoral ministry leave within the first five years. I should be angered that the majority of pastors believe there is no place to confidentially process their disappointment. I should be outraged that pastors suffer in silence feeling as if there is no safe place for them to turn. I want to experience heightened outrage that an overwhelming majority of pastors do not feel they were adequately trained to face the challenges that await them in the local church.” (source)
“In the case of the church, the front stage is what the congregation perceives on Sunday morning. We hope they see an organized, healthy, vibrant church led by competent, gifted, unified individuals. Meanwhile, in reality, the back stage of a church can be a place of chaos, conflict, miscommunication, and personal agendas where the staff struggle with the same mundane sins that plague the average believer. The back stage can be filled with contentious ministry meetings, argumentative staff gatherings, and combative board meetings.” (source)
Product Details
- Title : Survive or Thrive: 6 Relationships Every Pastor Needs
- Author: Dodd, Jimmy
- Publisher: David C Cook
- Publication Date: 2015
- ISBN: 9781434709639
