When Ministry Is Messy

Dr. Brown's portrait of the dynamics of the problem is insightful and challenging. --Andrew Greeley, from the Foreword When Ministry Is Messy: Practical Solutions to Difficult Problemsaddresses the three major causes of conflict within parish ministry--natural personality differences, emotional illness and sin. With the help of Scripture, namely Matthew 23, and modern psychology, Dr. Brown offers solutions to conflicts so that pastoral ministers can free themselves from fear and anxiety in their daily work and bring peace to church ministries. Drawing from his extensive background in both psychology and ministry, Dr. Brown provides effective solutions that are both practical and spiritual.

FOREWORD

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INTRODUCTION

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CHAPTER ONE: AN OVERVIEW OF CONFLICT IN MINISTRY

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Ministry Conflict—Three Causes and Possible Solutions

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Natural Personality Differences

Emotional Illness

Sin

CHAPTER TWO: JESUS' APPROACH TO CONFLICT IN MATTHEW 23

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Do Whatever They Teach—Natural Personality Differences

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Woe to You, Blind Guides!—Emotional Illness

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Full of Greed and Self-indulgence—Sin

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The Greatest...Will Be Your Servant—Loving Servanthood

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For Which is Greater—Logic

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As a Hen Gathers Her Brood—Loving Forgiveness

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The City That Kills the Prophets—Choosing to "Stay Stuck" in Conflict

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CHAPTER THREE: NATURAL PERSONALITY DIFFERENCES

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The Value of Identifying Personality Skills

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Identifying Personality Skills

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How Natural Personality Skills Cause Conflict

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Twelve Skills and How They Cause Conflict

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CHAPTER FOUR: EMOTIONAL ILLNESS

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The Behaviors of Emotional Illness

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The Impact of Emotional Illness Behaviors on Victims

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The Impact of Emotional Illness Behaviors on Ministries

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The Need to Avoid Overreaction to Single Instances

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Insufficient Reactions by Observers of the Emotionally Ill

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How the Emotionally Ill Get Past Evaluations

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CHAPTER FIVE: SIN

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Lists of Sins from Saints Paul and Thomas Aquinas

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Prioritizing the Sins That Cause the Most Harm to Ministry

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Pride—The Primary Gateway to Harming Ministry

Injustice—Firing and Poor Hiring Practices

Scandal—Lust, Greed and Other Addictions

Lack of Courage—Lack of Ministry Protection

Sloth—Procrastination and Negligence

Factions—Source of Destructive Power

Unjust Accusations—Acting on False Information

Envy and Hatred—Source of Other Harmful Sins

Slander and Lies—Behavior That Destroys

Enmity and Strife—The Infighting

CHAPTER SIX: LOVING SERVANTHOOD

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Loving Servanthood in Scripture

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Servanthood as the Practical Application of Loving Your Neighbor

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God's Servanthood Toward Us

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Thankfulness and Humility—Corollaries to Servanthood

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Servanthood as a Preference for the Poor

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Servanthood as a Solution to Each of the Three Causes of Conflict

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Practical Applications for Servanthood in Ministry Conflict Spirituality

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Some Difficulties in Servanthood

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CHAPTER SEVEN: LOGIC

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The Importance of Logic in Spirituality

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Logic's Place in Scripture

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Petitioning for Light and Strength—the Corollary to Logic

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Practical Applications of Logic in Ministry Conflict Spirituality

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Logic as a Solution to Each of the Three Causes of Conflict

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CHAPTER EIGHT: LOVING FORGIVENESS

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The Importance of Loving Forgiveness in Scripture

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Gratitude and Petition for Help—Corollaries of Loving Forgiveness

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Practical Applications of Loving Forgiveness in Ministry Conflict Spirituality

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Loving Forgiveness as a Solution to the Three Causes of Conflict

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CHAPTER NINE: "STAYING STUCK" AND "SPEAKING UP"

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How We "Stay Stuck" Today

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Putting God on the Cross

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Why We "Stay Stuck"

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Why "Staying Stuck" Results in the Desire to Kill the Prophet

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Jesus "Speaks Up"

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When Ministry Is Messy

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