Review: Managing Conflict in the Church

Managing Conflict in the Church by David W. Kale
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book is well-researched and packed with information that is sometimes cited from other authors in the Church Conflict circles. Kale and McCullough make an attempt to provide reenactments of real-life church conflicts to illustrate the substantives but often fall short of the believability factor that Dan Allender, for example, is a master of. Sometimes, the stories drag on for way too long; a dose of brevity would be much welcomed. Each chapter closes with a short story in a segment titled "from the pastor's desk" that is similarly unimpressive. One such uninspiring example would be Chapter 8's mentioning of Charles Swindoll's irritation with an unruly cow that led him to threaten to sell her to a Presbyterian who could strike her (he as a Quaker apparently could not) but then it did not lead well into the substantive thereafter.

The content is relatively insightful, although the book's formatting made it lose some lustre in terms of readability. Much can also be improved with regards to how engaging the material is - avoiding walls after walls of text by providing quotation blocks of notable concepts and by adding pictures/comics. Overall the book is so-so - it has some sparks of great content but other times the material is clearly off the mark. For readers who would like to learn more about manging church conflict, I'd instead recommend the excellent If You Bite & Devour One Another: Biblical Principles for Handling Conflict by Alexander Strauch (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2619174098).

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Review: Pastors at Greater Risk

Pastors at Greater Risk by H.B. London Jr.
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The book is written in an engaging, authentic manner. London and Wiseman display their immense experience and also tap on the insight of leaders from other like-minded organisations that care for pastors (through Q&A/interview sessions at the end of most chapters) to lay out the unique challenges of being a pastor. I'd imagine that their wise (preemptive) recommendations and (reactionary) interventions would be thoroughly insightful to practising ministers. Indeed it’s much better to learn from the mistakes of others rather than making them yourself. Its best use perhaps is as a reality check to pastors - STOP running yourself dry and take the necessary measures to not crash and burn!

I appreciated how in including letters from pastors and their family members to illustrate specific topics, London and Wiseman do not sugarcoat the crushing toll of pastoral ministry and opt to publish it in its raw form. Also great was the highlighting of key principles by featuring them as block quotations, which broke up the monotony of walls of text. If I could feature a paradigm-shifting principle I learnt from this book, it would be the advice to avoid having monday as an off day - read Chapter 7 for the full scoop!

Even at 300 plus pages, it did not feel that long because the content was accessible and topics discussed were highly relevant. What keeps this book from being rated a full five stars would be the tone of the book - I felt the full weight of the gloom and doom that would befall the lives and families of the pastors. My impression was that it would be better to avoid ministry rather than to have to struggle unsuccessfully against the insurmountable odds placed on a pastor; I felt rather depressed and helpless when I saw how much I had to do in my own strength to not destroy my family and my ministry. My guess is that the authors' target audience would be Arminian-leaning pastors and so the slant of works (pursuit of holiness; not overworking etc) and practical step-by-step applications would resonate deeply with them.

How is a pastor ever going to survive? I'd rather have wished for London and Wiseman to remind us of the supernatural life-changing power and the blessed everlasting hope of the Gospel. Practical advice is great, but we ministers need to be captured and consumed before imparting a love of Christ to their families and flock.

Nevertheless, because this title is so exhaustive in its sweep and extremely helpful in its depth of suggested interventions, it would still be an invaluable resource in any pastor's library (even for the slightly reformed ones like myself). Just be sure to read Edmund Clowney's inspiring Called to Ministry alongside this to catch a glimpse of Clowney’s enrapturing love for his Saviour and great awe and joy of being in his service.

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Review: Pastors Are People Too: What They Won't Tell You but You Need to Know

Pastors Are People Too: What They Won't Tell You but You Need to Know by Jimmy Dodd
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Dodd and Magnuson couldn't be boring even if they tried - the content was engaging, captivating and highly relatable. I've had the privilege of spending five years studying in bible school, and have interacted with many pastors. They are dedicated to the Lord's work, their hearts beat for their sheep and yet I sense the toll of ministry on the well-being of themselves and their families.

This book is targeted at all Christians, and especially elders and board members. My heart broke many times as I read the regrettably lamentable real-life accounts of the pain and carnage that pastors and their families have been put through. Dodd and Magnuson both lead (two different) organisations that care for pastors, and with their vast insight and experience, provide a glimpse into the struggles, expectations and risks of pastoral ministry. They also provide useful practical guidelines and suggestions to care for the well-being of the pastoral staff, both in the form of pre-emptive measures and also resolutions for ministry workers who have flagged problems with their personal and family lives. Even if you arent in a position to influence church policy, there are still many viable suggestions for an ordinary church member to bless, love and care for their pastors.

I enjoyed the read so much that I bought 8 copies to give away; it's an easy 6 star rating for me! I heartily recommend and endorse this title!

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Review: Am I Called?: The Summons to Pastoral Ministry

Am I Called?: The Summons to Pastoral Ministry by Dave Harvey
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

The content is relatively engaging and he quotes from theologians like Sinclair Ferguson and Charles Spurgeon. Especially insightful and inspiring would be the small excerpt of the struggles/journey of a minister at the end of each chapter. Also great would be the recommendations for further reading, also found at the tail of the chapters. Harvey's illustrations are so-so, but not as gripping as Duane Elmer, Sherwood Lingenfelter or Dan Allender's. There is, however, a critical and unnecessary flaw in the book.

While I appreciated how concise and accessible the content was, I felt that it was a great pity that Harvey started the book by being divisive with his proclamation of complementarianism on Pg 19 "I believe the Bible clearly teaches that the call to pastoral ministry is only for Christian men." Well, that is his interpretation of what the bible says, and to claim that it is the clear teaching of Scripture is a bold but unfortunately misinformed assertion. To make such a definitive claim (on what to me is a non-dogma issue) leads me to be concerned about Harvey's submission to the authority of Scripture of whether he is making Scripture affirm his theological positions. Hence, I'd recommend Edmund Clowney's excellent title Called to Ministry (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5...) instead for readers seeking direction on this topic.

I hope that Harvey would heed the advice of his fellow complementarian and bible scholar Thomas Scholar on this matter to “bend over backward to love those with whom we disagree, and to assure them that we hope and pray that God will bless their ministries, even though we believe that it is a mistake for women to take on a pastoral role.” (P85-86 from Women in the Church: An Analysis and Application of 1 Timothy 2:9-15 by Kostenberger and Schreiner, 2nd Edition, http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25...).

For readers wondering what this matter is about, the most helpful title on Women in Ministry would be Zondervan's 2005 Counterpoints title Two Views on Women in Ministry (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...). I affirm the co-editor's position on this doctrine; Craig Blomberg “modified hierarchicalism” makes a full egalitarian argument with the exception of the senior pastor role being reserved for males only (p326). I also uphold Craig Keener’s advice to “give the ‘benefit of the doubt’ to who claim that God called them and who evidence that call in their lives, rather than passing judgment on them.” (p113 from Paul, Women & Wives: Marriage and Women's Ministry in the Letters of Paul).

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