Download or read book When Narcissism Comes to Church written by Chuck DeGroat and published by InterVarsity Press. This book was released on 2020-03-17 with total page 205 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Christian Book Award® program Outreach Resource of the Year Why does narcissism seem to thrive in our churches? We've seen the news stories. Maybe we ourselves have been hurt by a narcissistic church leader. But what is narcissism, really? And how does it infiltrate the church? Chuck DeGroat has been counseling pastors with narcissistic personality disorder, as well as those wounded by narcissistic leaders and systems, for over twenty years. He knows firsthand the devastation narcissism leaves in its wake and how insidious and painful it is. In When Narcissism Comes to Church, DeGroat takes a close look at narcissism, not only in ministry leaders but also in church systems. He offers compassion and hope for those affected by its destructive power and imparts wise counsel for churches looking to heal from its systemic effects. DeGroat also offers hope for narcissists themselves—not by any shortcut, but by the long, slow road of genuine recovery through repentance and trust in the gospel of Jesus.

Download or read book Toughest People to Love written by Chuck DeGroat and published by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. This book was released on 2014-05-29 with total page 183 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: People -- frustrating, confusing, disappointing, complicated -- are the most difficult part of leadership, and they challenge leaders everywhere, from leaders of many to managers of a few. In this book Chuck DeGroat addresses the flawed nature of people and offers wisdom for leaders of all types in dealing with just about anyone who is difficult to lead and to love. Toughest People to Love explores the basics of how people "tick," encouraging leaders to examine and take care of themselves so that they can better understand and care for others. Based on DeGroat's wealth of experience as a pastor, professor, and therapist, this book -- both wise and practical -- is one that countless leaders will go back to time and again for valuable insights and renewed vision.

Download or read book Redeeming Power written by Diane Langberg and published by Brazos Press. This book was released on 2020-10-20 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Power has a God-given role in human relationships and institutions, but it can lead to abuse when used in unhealthy ways. Speaking into current #MeToo and #ChurchToo conversations, this book shows that the body of Christ desperately needs to understand the forms power takes, how it is abused, and how to respond to abuses of power. Although many Christians want to prevent abuse in their churches and organizations, they lack a deep and clear-eyed understanding of how power actually works. Internationally recognized psychologist Diane Langberg offers a clinical and theological framework for understanding how power operates, the effects of the abuse of power, and how power can be redeemed and restored to its proper God-given place in relationships and institutions. This book not only helps Christian leaders identify and resist abusive systems but also shows how they can use power to protect the vulnerable in their midst.

Download or read book Ministry by the Book written by Derek Tidball and published by InterVarsity Press. This book was released on 2009-05-29 with total page 281 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Focusing on pastoral leadership within local churches or groups of churches, Derek Tidball provides a comprehensive survey of the variety of ministry models and patterns found in the New Testament with applications for today's ministry.

Download or read book Wholeheartedness written by Chuck DeGroat and published by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. This book was released on 2015-09-24 with total page 208 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Most of us lead busy, frenzied, fragmented lives. Our inner fragmentation keeps us from fully experiencing the wholeness and peace -- the sense of flourishing -- that our hearts so deeply long for. In this book Chuck DeGroat invites readers to admit the exhaustion and fragmentation they experience on a daily basis even as he casts a vision for wholeheartedness. With wisdom gained through his years of pastoral care and counseling, he explores the phenomenon of human dividedness and wholeness through the Christian story, examines how others have experienced it, and looks at how psychologists and researchers suggest addressing it. With insights derived from a rich diversity of sources, including poets, scientists, philosophers, psychologists, and the Christian tradition, DeGroatsWholeheartedness will enable readers to discover the remedy for their frenzied lives.

Download or read book Healing Spiritual Abuse written by Ken M. Blue and published by InterVarsity Press. This book was released on 1993-09-10 with total page 174 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Asserting that spiritual abuse in the church is more common than we realize, Ken Blue examines the causes of spiritual abuse, identifies abusive patterns, offers healing to those who have suffered abuse and describes how leaders should model the gospel of grace.

Download or read book A Church Called Tov written by Scot McKnight and published by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.. This book was released on 2020-10-06 with total page 238 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “Scot and Laura do an amazing job of teaching us what a good church looks like.” —Beth Moore What is the way forward for the church? Tragically, in recent years, Christians have gotten used to revelations of abuses of many kinds in our most respected churches—from Willow Creek to Harvest, from Southern Baptist pastors to Sovereign Grace churches. Respected author and theologian Scot McKnight and former Willow Creek member Laura Barringer wrote this book to paint a pathway forward for the church. We need a better way. The sad truth is that churches of all shapes and sizes are susceptible to abuses of power, sexual abuse, and spiritual abuse. Abuses occur most frequently when Christians neglect to create a culture that resists abuse and promotes healing, safety, and spiritual growth. How do we keep these devastating events from repeating themselves? We need a map to get us from where we are today to where we ought to be as the body of Christ. That map is in a mysterious and beautiful little Hebrew word in Scripture that we translate “good,” the word tov. In this book, McKnight and Barringer explore the concept of tov—unpacking its richness and how it can help Christians and churches rise up to fulfill their true calling as imitators of Jesus.

Download or read book Church of Cowards written by Matt Walsh and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2020-02-25 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What Would You Surrender for God? Christians in the Middle East, in much of Asia, and in Africa are still being martyred for the faith, but how many American Christians are willing to lay down their smartphones, let alone their lives, for the faith? Being a Christian in America doesn’t require much these days. Suburban megachurches are more like entertainment venues than places to worship God. The lives that American “Christians” lead aren’t much different from those of their atheist neighbors, and their knowledge of theology isn’t much better either. Matt Walsh of The Daily Wire exposes the pitiful state of Christianity in America today, lays out the stakes for us, our families, and our eternal salvation, and invites us to a faith that’s a lot less easy and comfortable—but that’s more real and actually worth something. The spiritual junk food we’re stuffing ourselves with is never going to satisfy. As St. Augustine said over a millennium ago, our hearts are restless until they rest in Him. Only God Himself can make our lives anything but ultimately meaningless and empty. And we will never get anywhere near Him if we refuse to take up our cross and follow Jesus. This rousing call to the real adventure of a living faith is a wake-up call to complacent Christians and a rallying cry for anyone dissatisfied with a lukewarm faith.

Download or read book When Loving Him is Hurting You written by David Hawkins and published by Harvest House Publishers. This book was released on 2017-09-26 with total page 237 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: It's Okay to Have Needs of Your Own You fell in love with him. But over time you've come to realize he's in love with himself—and you feel trapped. His needs, his problems, and his plans always seem to take precedence over yours. Dr. David Hawkins, director of the Marriage Recovery Center, offers a guide to help you identify signs of narcissism, understand how your loved one's issues are affecting you, and prepare a biblical game plan for freeing yourself to live courageously in light of God's love. Whether the man in your life can be diagnosed with narcissistic personality disorder (NPD), exhibits narcissistic traits and emotionally abusive behavior, or has arrogant and self-centered tendencies, the emotional pain he causes you is very real. Discover the truths, wisdom, and grace you need to spark change in your relationship, set boundaries, and experience healing.

Download or read book It Takes a Church to Raise a Christian written by Tod E. Bolsinger and published by Brazos Press. This book was released on 2004-04 with total page 208 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Rediscover the triune nature of God to reawaken and nourish a communal spirit in our individualist times.

Download or read book Leaving Egypt written by Chuck DeGroat and published by Christian Reformed Church of North America. This book was released on 2022-02-16 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Author and theologian Chuck DeGroat shows how our wilderness journey helps us face our fears, receive our new identity, experience transformation, and live into our newfound freedom.

Download or read book Breaking the Silence on Spiritual Abuse written by L. Oakley and published by Springer. This book was released on 2013-10-17 with total page 184 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Providing a balance of empirical research and practical concerns, this book explores the definitions and historical context of spiritual abuse, outlines a process model for the different stages of spiritual abuse and includes strategies for therapists working with survivors of spiritual abuse.

Download or read book Narcissistic Confrontations written by Sister Renee Pittelli and published by Outskirts Press. This book was released on 2015-03-06 with total page 424 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Be Prepared For Your Next Encounter With The Bully In Your Family Or Church...In this long-awaited sequel to Narcissistic Predicaments, award-winning author Sister Renee Pittelli not only teaches more lessons on handling abusive birth-families, but expands the discussion to include abusive church families as well, with invaluable insights and information about phony “Christians” and toxic churches, the biblically in-error “Christian” abuser and the ignorant, rude and presumptuous Spiritual Bully. Narcissistic Confrontations is chock full of eye-opening revelations and helpful strategies, including: *The Narcissist’s 35 Rules of Engagement *12 Examples of juvenile behavior and mentality in narcissistic confrontations *All Narcissists Are Liars, and the things they lie about *Every interaction with a narcissist is a competition, and only the narcissist is allowed to win *The 3 Basic Principles of Selective Amnesia *3 Things that prove “I Can’t Help It” is a lie *What happens when you go to counseling with a narcissist *8 Ways to make a narcissist prove he’s really changed *The Business Deal with the hidden clauses *Making abuse sound like a good thing *How to spot and handle a child of Satan who is pretending to be a child of God *When they sense they’re losing their grip on you, 5 Surprising Tactics they use to keep you attached *37 Typical Steps in the decline and fall of our abusive relationships *How to handle the Silent Treatment, ultimatums, being “second fiddle,” getting disowned, and other narcissistic “punishments” *The Narcissistic Nuclear Meltdown *4 Secret Ways to “change” a narcissist *How to set a trap for the “spy” in your midst, and what to do with her once you figure out who she is *14 Promises to make to ourselves that will help us recognize toxic people and choose healthy relationships from now on *Luke 17:3 Ministries’ Abuser/Narcissist/Psychopath FAQ. In Narcissistic Confrontations you will learn about “normal” conversations with narcissists versus confrontations, why narcissists manipulate, how they use favors you do for them to ruin your reputation, narcissistic projection, narcissistic group dynamics, recognizing toxic people and groups, some clarification on what “lacking empathy” really means, how to tell if listening to someone else’s advice is a healthy or unhealthy pattern for you, what happens when narcissists team up with each other or with psychopaths, how to tell if it’s really “old age” or a “mental illness” that makes someone abuse you, the difference between “judging” and “rebuking,” Nonsense Statements and other abusive battle tactics, what happens in our relationships when we start changing, and much, much more. Narcissistic Confrontations prepares you for battle with family and church narcissists, so that you will no longer be caught off-guard, blindsided and manipulated by the wiles of the evil among us. Written with humor, compassion and wisdom, and filled with empowering scriptural references, this book provides loads of effective strategies and useful step-by-step directions, as well as support, validation, peace and freedom for those who find themselves targeted by ungodly birth-families and church families.

Download or read book Let Us Prey written by R. Glenn Ball and published by . This book was released on 2017 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Jesus warned of wolves carefully disguised as shepherds who would come into the local church as pastors. It is the perfect disguise from which to devour the flock one lamb at a time. The authors were the first to study this phenomenon in North America and discover how serious the problem is. What they uncovered is shocking. The enemy has infiltrated the North American church. In this study of a large Canadian denomination, just under one in three pastors met the diagnostic criteria of Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD). This is one of the most destructive and least treatable of all mental disorders, but is often well hidden behind layers of ""sacred"" deception. Some are charismatic while others are quiet and even awkward, but they share the same needs for power, control, praise, and public recognition. They are also rigid, unbending, never wrong, demanding, and full of hidden rage, leaving the people working for them in demoralized fear. They see you as inferior and God as a rival, while the worst see themselves as God. If they see you as a threat, they will do everything possible to destroy you spiritually and emotionally. Is your pastor one of them? ""Armed with research data and real-life examples, Puls and Ball provide an absorbing and alarming analysis of Christian clergy who suffer from Narcissistic Personality Disorder, describing the toll these 'wolves in sheep's clothing' wreak upon their congregations and co-workers. A must-read for clergy and those who supervise and support them."" --Kevin Livingston, Associate Professor of Pastoral Ministry, Tyndale Seminary, Toronto ""Ball and Pulls do an amazing job of bringing a sensitive issue to the light. Filled with powerful stories, up-to-date research, and godly counsel, Let Us Prey is a great resource that brings wisdom, guidance, and healing to Christian leaders and church communities."" --Tim Clinton, President, American Association of Christian Counselors ""Let Us Prey contains ground-breaking research regarding the plague of narcissism in the church. It also provides practical direction for the diagnosis, intervention, and mitigation of narcissism in our pastorate and our congregations. A must-read . . ."" --Michael Patterson, PhD, LMHC, NCC, BCPCC, Chair, Department of Behavioral Science, Corban University ""Painstakingly researched and terrifyingly realistic, this book shocks us into facing up to the monsters within the body of Christ who prey on the sheep rather than pray for them. Read it and equip yourself to identify and confront these predators with firmness and faith."" --David Murray, Pastor, Grand Rapids Free Reformed Church; Professor of Practical Theology, Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary Darrell Puls is a professional conflict interventionist with forty years of experience, and founder of Peacebridge Ministries, a Christian nonprofit that works directly with faith communities experiencing internal conflict. He is the author of The Road Home: A Guided Journey to Church Forgiveness and Reconciliation (2013). R. Glenn Ball is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church in Canada, where he has served for more than thirty years in parish ministry and as a specialist working with distressed churches.

Download or read book The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse written by David Johnson and published by Baker Books. This book was released on 2005-10-01 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In a breakthrough book first published in 1991, the authors address the dynamics in churches that can ensnare people in legalism, guilt, and begrudging service, keeping them from the grace and joy of God's kingdom.Written for both those who feel abused and those who may be causing it, The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse shows how people get hooked into abusive systems, the impact of controlling leadership on a congregation, and how the abused believer can find rest and recovery.

Download or read book Let Us Prey Revised Edition written by Darrell Puls and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2020-06-10 with total page 238 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Jesus warned of wolves carefully disguised as shepherds coming into local churches as pastors. It is the perfect disguise for a predator to access and devour the flock one lamb at a time while proclaiming himself as their protector and guardian. The result is spiritual devastation, broken congregations, and even destroyed churches. Darrell Puls attests from experience that the enemy has infiltrated the North American church through pastors with dangerously high levels of narcissism. These pastors hide under layers of the sacred, but it is always an illusion of smoke and mirrors. Puls has experienced this reality from the inside as a staff pastor under a narcissist, and from the outside as a church consultant. He carefully unpacks toxic narcissism in everyday terms, and lets the victims tell their own stories. Let Us Prey, Revised Edition is as real as it gets.

Download or read book This Too Shall Last written by K.J. Ramsey and published by Zondervan. This book was released on 2020-05-12 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is not a before-and-after story. Our culture treats suffering like a problem to fix, a blight to hide, or the sad start of a transformation story. We silently, secretly wither under the pressure of living as though suffering is a predicament we can avoid or annihilate by working hard enough or having enough faith. When your prayers for healing haven't been answered, the fog of depression isn't lifting, your marriage is ending in divorce, or grief won't go away, it's easy to feel you've failed God and, worse, he's failed you. If God loves us, why does he allow us to hurt? Over a decade ago chronic illness plunged therapist and writer K.J. Ramsey straight into this paradox. Before her illness, faith made sense. But when pain came and never left, K.J. had to find a way across the widening canyon that seemed to separate God's goodness from her excruciating circumstances. She wanted to conquer suffering. Instead, she encountered the God who chose it. She wanted to make pain past-tense. Instead, God invited her into a bigger story. This Too Shall Last offers an antidote to our cultural idolatry of effort and ease. Through personal story and insights from neuroscience and theology, Ramsey invites us to let our tears become lenses of the wonder that before God ever rescues us, he stands in solidarity with us. We are all mid-story in circumstances we did not choose, wondering when our hard things will end and where grace will come if they don’t. We don't need to make suffering a before-and-after story. Together we can encounter the grace that enters the middle of our stories, where living with suffering that lingers means receiving God's presence that lasts.