Every church experiences occasional personality conflicts and discord. But in a growing phenomenon, normal clashes have escalated into pastoral abuse---often with devastating consequences. Greenfield takes a compassionate, provocative look at the reality of evil in the church; how "pathological antagonists" emotionally and spiritually batter their pastors; and offers preventative guidelines for pastors and lay leaders. 224 pages, softcover from Baker.
Average Rating: 5 out of 5 stars(5 out of 5 stars)
3 of 3 Reviews Showing:
5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Sylvia Lengel (Fredonia, New York), December 04, 2005
If you are a pastor's wife, I would highly recommend that you buy this book and read it NOW! Then share it with your husband--it will help him more fully understand the spiritual battle he is facing in his congregation and give him tools he can use to cope. Guy Greenfield "hits the nail on the head" from the first page to the last. His description of antagonists in the church is chillingly real and if you haven't encountered them yet, trust me, you will. Read the whole book as the last couple of chapters are an encouragement to the pastors and their families who have been wounded.
5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by David R. Bess (Charleston, West Virginia), February 22, 2004
Greenfield here addresses clergy causalities and ministerial mistreatment by churches. His depth and breadth are more extensive than any author I have read previously. This work is divided into three sections: the reality of church abuse, ministers whose personalities and/or disorders bring pain upon themselves, and ways to recover and to heal.
For me as a pastor, the best portions of the book were the last two sections. Most ministers are aware of the horror stories of clergy being abused by their churches, but far less are aware of traits in their own lives that increase the probability of injury. Also, few ministers who are wounded are aware of the many ways that healing and recovery can occur.
This volume is a must-read for any pastor or associate pastor. If he hasn't experienced yet the heartache of ministry, I am convinced it is not matter of when it comes, but how intensely it comes. This book will help a minister in caring for himself and in supporting colleagues who have been wounded in their service.
4 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Rev. John Puskar (East Stroudsburg, PA), August 29, 2002
This book was like reading my own experience in the pastorate. Dr. Greenfield accurately identifies the problem in many churches today--clergy killers. This phenomenon is very real and very devastating. After 2 years of antagonism in a 3-year pastorate, I am still here, and still breathing! This book should be a must-read for ministerial students, as most come out of school with optimism to spare. It gives a realistic approach on how to set up barriers of protection for pastors and consequently laymen.
My only wish is that Dr. Greenfield addressed what to do when you're in the midst of the fray, as most pastors he profiled simply resigned or were fired. I have no intention of leaving the helm unless God moves me Himself.
Write a review of The Wounded Minister: Healing from and Preventing Personal Attacks
Author: Guy Greenfield, Ph.D.
Located in: Amarillo, TX
Submitted: July 03, 2001
Tell us a little about yourself. Having retired from pastorate, seminary teaching,
I now do pastoral counseling for two churches in
Amarillo, TX. In last pastorate I was severely
abused by pathological antagonists who drove me
to take early retirement. Author of six books.
What was your motivation behind this project? At first, anger mostly toward the large number of
good but passive lay leaders who stood by and
allowed the abuse to happen. Then, I discovered
a large number of other ministers who have
experienced the same type of abuse, crying for
help. Driven from the ministry, they begged me
to show them the way back. They needed healing
from the abuse, and their families needed help.
Moverover, churches with a history of abuse need
to be saved from the "clergy killers" from
within. They ask, How can we prevent this from
happening again?
What do you hope folks will gain from this project? Awareness of the thousands of wounded ministers
in all denominations. Empathy for their pain and
frustration. Healing for the abuse. Strategies
for prevention, to break the cycle of abuse in
many churches.
Who are your influences, sources of inspiration or favorite authors / artists? Wayne Oates, Elton Trueblood, John Newport, T. B.
Maston, Brooks Faulkner, Scott Peck, Lloyd
Rediger, Kenneth Haugk, Lewis Smedes, certain
Christian psychiatrist and psychologists.
Anything else you'd like readers / listeners to know: Help get this book into the hands of both
ministers and key lay leaders in your local
church so we can put a stop to this holocaust in
the ministry.
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