Book review by Jeff Miller
The Emotionally Healthy Church by Peter Scazzero
On my bookshelves I have three different sections – a large section of “just books”, a medium sized
section of “good books”, and a small section of “must read books”. These are the ones that have
changed my life, that I have marked up, that I have recommended to others. The Emotionally Healthy
Church is one of those books.
The premise of this book is simple: A church will only be as healthy as its leader. Scazzero gives a
brutally honest account of his failures in this regard, and then shares his journey towards a healthy life
and how it affects his ministry. He contends that modern churches tend to be very aware of financial,
numeric, and programmatic health, but are infants when it comes to true emotional health. As the
Bible teaches, a disciple becomes like its leader, so if the leader is carrying around emotional
baggage and lives out if it, the church will tend to operate in the same dysfunction. There is a way out,
but it involves an honest and painful examination of oneself.
I am a pretty balanced person, but I found the word “infant” applied to me as I read this book and
began to evaluate myself. Early on in the book, the author presents a survey that you can use to
inventory your emotional health in six areas. Then he devotes the rest of the book to helping the
reader work through each of these areas. These discussions include “breaking the power of the
past”, “living in vulnerability”, and “receiving the gift of limits”, among others. I have no doubt that
working through these things will help my church, as they have a serious impact on the way I lead
others, but the best reward is that I have found healing in my own heart.
This is no trite intellectual book. I have pastored for 10 years, and the contents of this book touched on
some of the deepest issues I have faced in my ministry. I found myself weeping and journaling and
making some significant life changes as a result of my study of this book. On the other side, along
with some good counseling, I have found much more balance in the ministry and in my personal life
as I have faced some of the things I found while reading The Emotionally Healthy Church. It went deep
into me, and I’m glad I read it. You should too.
The Emotionally Healthy Church by Peter Scazzero
On my bookshelves I have three different sections – a large section of “just books”, a medium sized
section of “good books”, and a small section of “must read books”. These are the ones that have
changed my life, that I have marked up, that I have recommended to others. The Emotionally Healthy
Church is one of those books.
The premise of this book is simple: A church will only be as healthy as its leader. Scazzero gives a
brutally honest account of his failures in this regard, and then shares his journey towards a healthy life
and how it affects his ministry. He contends that modern churches tend to be very aware of financial,
numeric, and programmatic health, but are infants when it comes to true emotional health. As the
Bible teaches, a disciple becomes like its leader, so if the leader is carrying around emotional
baggage and lives out if it, the church will tend to operate in the same dysfunction. There is a way out,
but it involves an honest and painful examination of oneself.
I am a pretty balanced person, but I found the word “infant” applied to me as I read this book and
began to evaluate myself. Early on in the book, the author presents a survey that you can use to
inventory your emotional health in six areas. Then he devotes the rest of the book to helping the
reader work through each of these areas. These discussions include “breaking the power of the
past”, “living in vulnerability”, and “receiving the gift of limits”, among others. I have no doubt that
working through these things will help my church, as they have a serious impact on the way I lead
others, but the best reward is that I have found healing in my own heart.
This is no trite intellectual book. I have pastored for 10 years, and the contents of this book touched on
some of the deepest issues I have faced in my ministry. I found myself weeping and journaling and
making some significant life changes as a result of my study of this book. On the other side, along
with some good counseling, I have found much more balance in the ministry and in my personal life
as I have faced some of the things I found while reading The Emotionally Healthy Church. It went deep
into me, and I’m glad I read it. You should too.
Small Church Pastor
Coaching, Consulting, and Resources for Pastors of Smaller Churches.
Ideas That Work
Copyright, Dave Jacobs 2010
| in a smaller church. |
The Emotionally Healthy Church
Book review by Jeff Miller
Book review by Jeff Miller
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website and designed to keep you informed
of new articles and resources on this site.
Sign up today and I'll send you a free copy
of my Better Sermons in Less Time
workbook.