Mad Church Disease by Anne Jackson - The Diagnosis

The good news? I don't have Mad Church Disease. Whew! I thought it may have been something I ate at a potluck dinner, or gotten it from tainted Communion wafers.

Anne Jackson does a great job in this book of presenting the tough challenges that ministry leaders face without giving people permission to just be victims of their circumstance. I think her heart for this book is really well reflected in Chapter 3 where she says, "We should look at our past as a gift and not a burden. And as such, we should steward it like any other gift we've been given. We need to be grateful for our unique circumstances, not resentful."

She doesn't focus on the disease as much as on getting healthy. Half of the word healthy is HEAL, yet so many people want to get healthy without healing. Part of the book is focused on identifying where we might be unhealthy, but much of it hones in on spiritual, physical, emotional, and relational health. In every one of these four sections she gives Bible verses to base our growth on.

I was most challenged by the physical health section. I am BAD at taking care of my body. I got some really practical ideas for getting better sleep, eating better, and taking time for exercise. It actually challenged me to change my patterns at night to get ready for going to bed. Something simple that will have a long-lasting impact on me.

Now, I'm sure that there are some self-loathing pastors that could use this as an excuse to feel sorry for themselves. But they won't find Jackson patting them on the back telling them it will be ok, they'll find her saying, "But do I wish I had been protected from experiencing that pain? Honestly, no." She pushes us all to stop running from these issues, but to face them head on and be healed. It may hurt to open up these wounds, but it will be worth it.

The final thing that I really enjoyed about this book were the voices of top Christian leaders who have been through some of these "low" times. It is written in an interview format with some great answers! My favorite answer was from a pastor that I had never heard of - Gary Kinnaman - he said about strengthening others, "You realize you have nothing to offer but Christ in you".

I definitely recommend this book to people who may be in a hard situation at a church or just have not dealt with emotions from past experiences. But ANYBODY can get some great principles on how to be more healthy in ministry. Thanks Anne for a great book!