Anxous Church, Anxious People: How to Lead Change in an Age of Anxiety - Hardcover

Jack, Shitama

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1732009325 ISBN 13: 9781732009325

Publisher: Charis Works Inc, 2018

Synopsis

The key to effective church leadership is the ability to be a non-anxious presence.

This is not a technique. It is a way of being. It is deceptively simple, but tremendously difficult. Yet, if you are willing to take the journey, you can lead change in even the most challenging contexts.

Read this book and you will understand:

• The process that keeps churches anxious and stuck.
• How leadership through self-differentiation gets churches unstuck.
• How to develop as a non-anxious presence so you can lead change anywhere, but especially in an anxious church.

Anxious Church, Anxious People is based on a family systems approach to congregational leadership. If you are willing to learn more about yourself and your family of origin, you can learn to be a non-anxious presence. If you have tried everything else and realize that you cannot change others, but can only change yourself, this book can help you. It makes family systems concepts accessible and practical through the use of examples from personal experience.

The author has used this approach to leadership in his 26 years of ministry as a pastor, board chair and ministry executive. It has enabled him to lead significant change in the local church, a regional ministry and a denominational professional association. He has been teaching, mentoring and coaching congregational leaders for the last 15 years to help them to do the same.

About this title

Review

Anxious church, Anxious People is a marvelously insightful guide for how to use a systems approach in church leadership situations. It guides leaders in practical ways through difficult situations, and it helps the reader understand the dynamics behind interpersonal challenges in the parish. I have seen the change Rev. Shitama has led. The experience he shares can help any leader.

Bishop Peggy A. Johnson, Philadelphia Episcopal Area-The United Methodist Church

This is an excellent resource for pastors and others who aspire to leadership in the church. In fact, this is the book I wish I'd written and will use it when I teach leadership. "Anxiety" is the issue for us, and the angel said, "Fear not."

David McAllister-Wilson, President, Wesley Theological Seminary

Through Jack's self-revealing, modest way and his accessible language, you can get a clearer picture as to how to integrate Family Systems thinking into your life. If you have heard about Family Systems and want to get in touch with this powerful language of leadership, I suggest you consider this book to start the "process."

Rev. William Selby, President/Mentor, Center for Pastoral Effectiveness of the Rockies, Highlands Ranch CO

Edition details

• Publisher: Charis Works Inc
• Publication date: 2018
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1732009325
• ISBN 13: 9781732009325
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 150