Like many of you, I have been listening to Christianity Today’s podcast, The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill. It is a sobering listen, and hopefully a powerful reminder that as ministry leaders, we need accountability both with God and with other leaders we can trust.
Chuck DeGroat, who is featured on the podcast, has laid out in great detail how narcissism can become so powerful in the context of the local church. If you are at all interested, you can read my review here or check out some significant quotes here.
In my opinion, it’s a must-read for anyone involved in ordination or the calling of a pastor, and can also help those of us in ministry to become aware of any narcissistic tendencies we might have, tendencies that if untreated, will become destructive over time.
Stu
This reflection first appeared in our weekly newsletter. To get content like this, along with our weekly selections from our library, click here.
Sermon Illustration Pages
Sermon Quote Pages
Liturgy Pages
total pages of content
Illustrations
Quotes
Liturgy
Blog
Thoughtful and practical articles on a wide variety of subjects all ministry leaders face
Don’t Miss
The Latest From Our Blog
Check out articles, featured illustrations, and book reviews on all different topics related to ministry.
Liturgy as Story
I know that not all of us come from so-called “liturgical” traditions, but all of us do use a liturgy of sorts. Liturgy is a compound Greek word meaning “public work” that is associated with the corporate act of worship. A liturgy is any expression of that public...
Third Third Preaching by Mark D. Roberts
I’ve heard a lot of sermons during the past 60 years. And I’ve preached a bunch too, well over a 1,000 sermons during my years as a pastor. So, I was surprised when, a couple of weeks ago, I heard something in a sermon I had never, ever heard before. I was shocked....
A Violent Man Gentled by Grace: Abba Moses the Black
Gentled by grace. That’s the incredible and inspiring story of Abba Moses the Black. He was a violent thief who became a humble and kind monk and one of the great Desert Fathers who served the Lord Jesus Christ in the 4th Century. From his life we see an example of...