Clergy Burnout: Recovering From The 70 Hour Week... and Other Self-Defeating Practices (Prism Series) - Softcover

Lehr, John Frederick

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0800637631 ISBN 13: 9780800637637

Publisher: Fortress Press, 2005

Synopsis

In this highly accessible book, Fred Lehr clarifies the nature and practice of clergy codependence. In short, insightful, and highly readable chapters, filled with many examples and stories from his own life and those he has counseled, Lehr identifies the typical forms codependence takes in the life and ministry of clergy: the chief-enabler, the one who keeps things functioning; the scapegoat, the one on whom everything's blamed when it goes wrong, the one who's responsible; the hero, the example, the pure and righteous one; the lost child, the one no one really knows or cares about; the rescuer, the one who saves the day, makes the visit, fixes the problem, makes everything all right again; the mascot, the cheerleader, the one who offers comic relief, brings down the tension level after a heated discussion.

About this title

About the Author:

John Frederick (Fred) Lehr is an ELCA pastor (graduate of Lutheran Theological Seminary in Gettysburg, and Drew-D.Min). He is the founder and Manager of Renewal Ministries, LLC, a ministry of training and consulting for church systems, church leaders, and church professionals with special emphasis on conflict management, change management, healthy boundaries, stress management, healthy congregations, and more. The author has suffered from many of the codependent behaviors of church leadership he describes in this manuscript. For eight years he worked at the Church Renewal Center, a specialized treatment program at Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Hospital in Allentown, Pennsylvania, designed exclusively for church professionals. Many of the people he worked with had problems that stemmed from their codependence. His D. Min. project was on stress management and spiritual wellness. He continues to expand his ministry as the founder and manager of Renewal Ministries LLC.

About this edition

• Publisher: Fortress Press
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 0800637631
• ISBN 13: 9780800637637
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 160