The Healthy Pastor: Easing the Pressures of Ministry

by Bickers, Dennis

• ISBN13: 9780834125537
• ISBN10: 0834125536
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-09-01
• Publisher: Nazarene Pub House

Summary

Pastors are expected to juggle numerous tasks in their ministries and in their family life. In many churches, the pastor carries several responsibilities as he or she is expected to prepare sermons, handle the administration, visit church members, provide leadership to the various church boards and committees, and lead the outreach efforts of the church, to name a few. Needless to say, pastors are under pressure, and some.The Healthy Pastor seeks to provide insights into the expectations churches and ministers have of the pastor's role. With insight and understanding, author Dennis Bickers addresses some of the common pressure points every minister experiences and provides solutions to those pressures. Through this honest exploration, ministers will be challenged to create balance in several areas of their lives: their relationship with God, family, the church, their self, and-for bivocational ministers-their second job.A practical resource for all ministers, The Healthy Pastor will help ease the pressures of ministry and guide pastors toward creating a more fulfilling and rewarding ministry.

Author Biography

Dennis Bickers serves as an area minister with the American Baptist Churches of Indiana and Kentucky. For twenty years, he was a bivocational pastor in a small, rural church in Indiana. He is the author of five books, including The Bivocational Pastor, The Healthy Small Church, and Intentional Ministry in a Not-So-Mega Church. Bickers has an MA in religion and a DMin from Liberty Theological Seminary. He and his wife live in Madison, Indiana.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. 6
Introduction	p. 7
Pressures of Family	p. 11
Pressures of Finances	p. 21
Pressures of Finding a Place to Serve	p. 30
Pressures of Leadership	p. 42
Pressures of Preaching and Teaching	p. 50
Pressures of Pastoral Care and Counseling	p. 60
Pressures of Relationships	p. 70
Pressures of Being Alone	p. 78
Pressures of Conflict	p. 86
Pressures of Rapid Change	p. 98
Pressures of Meeting Expectations	p. 107
Pressures of Time Management	p. 117
Pressures of Staff Relationships	p. 128
Pressures of Retirement	p. 141
Notes	p. 153
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