Living Faithfully with Disappointment in the Church

By Andrew J. Weaver, J Lebron Mcbride

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• ISBN: 978-0-7890-2622-4
• Binding: Paperback (also available in Hardback)
• Published by: Routledge
• Publication Date: 5th August 2005
• Pages: 126

About the Book

A practical approach to address spiritually crippling disappointment with the church!

Feeling disappointment with your church can be spiritually devastating. Living Faithfully with Disappointment in the Church gives you a theological and family therapy approach to disillusionment in the church that is practical and realistic. The author, an ordained minister and a licensed family therapist, discusses with sensitivity and hope the problems and the ways to resolve issues of spiritual disappointment.

Living Faithfully with Disappointment in the Church uses a theological basis to lay a foundation of understanding, and then provides real strategies from a family therapy perspective to deal with personal disappointments in the church. The book sensitively discusses real problems using real examples of how church dynamics can unwittingly cause spiritual disillusionment within even the most faithful, even in diligent attempts to serve God. Honest, reverent, and written from the perspective that each of us needs the church to cultivate our faith, this book provides non-simplistic yet hopeful answers to the most difficult of problems. Find comfort in these pages.

Living Faithfully with Disappointment in the Church discusses:

• idealism about the church
  
• how churches function according to the dynamics of family systems
  
• how a controlling family affects church dynamics
  
• people who become codependent to the church
  
• adjustment to belief structures within the church
  
• addictive processes in organizations
  
• the psychological danger zone of failed beliefs
  
• how to recognize when to stay and when to move on to another church
  
• considerations for someone in a denominational crisis
  
• the uses of spirituality and religion in psychologically healthy ways
  
• a theoretical model that gives priority to building a relational church

Living Faithfully with Disappointment in the Church is for ministers, chaplains, seminary students, pastoral counselors, Sunday school teachers, or anyone that is facing a spiritual crisis in their church. Each chapter includes questions for reflection and discussion.

Table of Contents

• Foreword (Jerry Gladson)
  
• Preface
  
• Acknowledgments
  
• Chapter 1. When Churches Stumble
  
• Idealism and the Church
  
• Unity versus Community
  
• The Church: The Community
  
• When the Church Walks with Two Feet on the Ground
  
• Questions for Discussion/Reflection
  
• Chapter 2. When Families Feud
  
• Boundaries
  
• Stagnant Minds Lead to Isolated and Closed Churches
  
• Controlling Families
  
• Church Bullies
  
• Church Codependents
  
• Questions for Discussion/Reflection
  
• Chapter 3. When Beliefs Crumble
  
• A Crisis Can Bring Forced Introspection
  
• Adjustments to Belief Structures Can Be Difficult
  
• The Church Should Be a Safe Place for Honest Discussion
  
• Beliefs Change in Multiple Ways
  
• Belief Transitions Are Normal, Not Abnormal
  
• Movement from the Status Quo May Energize
  
• Questions for Discussion/Reflection
  
• Chapter 4. When Religion Rigidifies
  
• Addictive Processes in Organizations
  
• The Awakening
  
• A Psychological and Spiritual Danger Zone
  
• Extremes Are Not Only Found in Extreme Organizations
  
• The Problem of Mistaking Religion for Spirituality
  
• The Challenge
  
• Questions for Discussion/Reflection
  
• Chapter 5. When Leaving Hurts
  
• Idealism
  
• The Battle
  
• The Decision
  
• Actions to Take When in a Denominational Crisis
  
• Questions for Discussion/Reflection
  
• Chapter 6. When Ministry Disillusions
  
• Finding Meaning in Life
  
• Finding Sanctuary
  
• Learn to Surrender
  
• A Sense of Discipline
  
• Incorporating Others
  
• Questions for Discussion/Reflection
  
• Chapter 7. When Tensions Increase
  
• A Narrow Focus Results in Lack of Tolerance
  
• Not Accepting Tensions Results in Lack of Challenge
  
• Integration Results in More Balance
  
• Polarities in the Christian Life
  
• Questions for Discussion/Reflection
  
• Chapter 8. When Change Collides
  
• Concepts About Change
  
• Change and Churches
  
• Superficial Change
  
• The Church: A Projection of Us?
  
• When Change and Church Collide
  
• The Opportunity
  
• Questions for Discussion/Reflection
  
• Chapter 9. When Humanity Fails
  
• The Crisis of Pollyanna Delusions: Denial
  
• The Crisis of Projection: The Devil Made Me Do It
  
• The Crisis of External Locus of Control: Expecting God to Do It All
  
• The Crisis of Legalism: Control
  
• The Crisis of Instability and Insecurity: Anxiety
  
• The Crisis of the Inflated Self: Narcissism
  
• The Crisis of Condemnation: Guilt
  
• The Crisis of Conformity: Mindlessness
  
• The Use of Spirituality and Religion in Psychologically Healthy Ways
  
• Questions for Discussion/Reflection
  
• Chapter 10. When Churches Walk the Talk
  
• The Gospel, As Lived in the Healthy Church, Answers Many Important Questions
  
• Conclusion
  
• Questions for Discussion/Reflection
  
• Epilogue
  
• Bibliography
  
• Index
  
• Reference Notes Included
  

© 2007 Routledge, member of the Taylor & Francis Group, an Informa Business