A wonderful guide to building emotional and relational health. Often not considered, but so important not only for ministry, but every aspect of life. ( )

why do you act and react like you do?

Excellent book! Lead out of "my failures, weaknesses, & struggles, not my successes." ( )

The Emotionally Healthy Church, Updated and Expanded Edition, the newly updated and expanded edition of the groundbreaking bestseller The Emotionally Healthy Church, features a fuller, deeper look at the six principles contained in the original and includes a crucial, additional chapter: Slow Down to Lead with Integrity. New Life Fellowship in Queens, New York, had it all: powerful teaching, dynamic ministries, an impressive growth rate, and a vision to do great works for God. Things looked good---but beneath the surface, circumstances were more than just brewing. They were about to boil over, forcing Peter Scazzero to confront needs in his church and himself that went deeper than he'd ever imagined. What he learned about the vital link between emotional health, relational depth, and spiritual maturity can shed new light on painful problems in your own church. In this revised and expanded edition of his Gold Medallion Award--winning book, Scazzero shares refreshing new insights and a different and challenging slant on what it takes to lead your congregation to wholeness and maturity in Christ. Our churches are in trouble, says Scazzero. They are filled with people who are * unsure how to biblically integrate anger, sadness, and other emotions * defensive, incapable of revealing their weaknesses * threatened by or intolerant of different viewpoints * zealous about ministering at church but blind to their spouses' loneliness at home * so involved in 'serving' that they fail to take care of themselves * prone to withdraw from conflict rather than resolve it Sharing from New Life Fellowship's painful but liberating journey, Scazzero reveals exactly how the truth can and does make you free---not just superficially, but deep down. This expanded edition of The Emotionally Healthy Church not only takes the original six principles further and deeper, but also adds a seventh crucial principle. You'll acquire knowledge and tools that can help you and others: * look beneath the surface of problems * break the power of past wounds, failures, sins, and circumstances * live a life of brokenness and vulnerability * recognize and honor personal limitations and boundaries * embrace grief and loss * make incarnation your model to love others * slow down to lead with integrity This new edition shares powerful insights on how contemplative spirituality can help you and your church slow down---an integral key to spiritual and emotional health. The Emotionally Healthy Church, Updated and Expanded Edition includes story after story of people at New Life whose lives have been changed by the concepts in this book. Open these pages and find out how your church can turn a new corner on the road to spiritual maturity. ( )

Something is desperately wrong with most churches today. Many sincere followers of Christ who are passionate for God and his work are unaware of the crucial link between emotional health and spiritual maturity. They present themselves as spiritually mature but are stuck at a level of immaturity that current models of discipleship have not addressed. Discipleship that really transforms a church must integrate emotional health with spiritual maturity. The Emotionally Healthy Church, winner of the Gold Medallion Book Award, offers a strategy for discipleship that accomplishes healthy living and actually changes lives.