Book Name
Zeal without Burnout: Seven Keys to a Lifelong Ministry of Sustainable Sacrifice‍

Author: Ash, Christopher
Publisher: The Good Book Company

Introduction:

Burnout is painful and it is a terrible price to pay especially for Christian zeal. No one wants to work until burnout; however, it happens so often to pastors. Research reveals that some 1,500 people leave the pastoral ministry each month due to burnout, conflict, or moral failure. A third of pastors say that they feel burnout within just five years of starting ministry. In 2014, almost half of pastors and their wives even claimed that they had experienced depression or burnout to the extent that they needed to take a leave of absence from ministry. Unfortunately, there is an alarming lack of awareness of the nature of pastoral stress which leads to anxiety and even burnout. All ministries should be aware and precautions should be taken to avoid burnout from happening. The author of the book Zeal without Burnout: Seven Keys to a Lifelong Ministry of Sustainable Sacrifice discusses the subject of burnout and how to prevent it in this short book.

This book is for you if you don’t want to serve your ministry until burnout.

Book Name
The Pastor’s Kid: What it’s Like and How to Help‍

Author: Piper, Barnabas
Publisher: The Good Book Company

Introduction:

Every child faces challenges in his or her upbringing. Family of origin, first and foremost, contributes a lot to the growth and shaping of characteristics of a child. It is not difficult to see many pastors have children with undesirable performance and attitudes. It is a serious problem for all pastors and churches. In order to address the issue, the author discusses three aspects in the book The Pastor’s Kid: What it’s Like and How to Help. Firstly, he wants to speak for the pastor’s kid as the first person with honesty, humility, and clarity to describe their struggle. Secondly, he wants to speak to pastors in order to help them to understand the enormously challenging position their children are facing. Last but not least, he writes to the church so that they are informed they have more responsibility than they realized to care for and ease the burden of the pastors and their families. This book is not only for pastors who have kids or for kids whose parents are pastors but also for every church member.

Book Name
The Pastor’s Family: Shepherding Your Family through the Challenges of Pastoral Ministry‍

Author: Croft, Brian, and Cara Croft
Publisher: Zondervan

Introduction:

Christians emulate those who throughout the centuries served in hostile churches for the sake of caring for souls, traveled around the world through dangerous terrain to preach the gospel to those who had never heard it, labored tirelessly to bring lost souls to Christ, and even gave their lives for the sake of the Kingdom of God. Here, the question is, what if God evaluates the faithfulness and greatness of a pastor, not simply by the successes of his local church ministry or missionaries, but also by how well he cares for and pastored his own family? For many church leaders, the care of the family seems to fall under that category of plain, servantlike grunt work. How many pastors will put their family before ministry? Does God want pastors to put their ministry before their family? If so, then why did God prepare them family? Why do so many pastors struggle to balance the call to shepherd faithfully the church with the call to care responsibly and lovingly for their wives and children? The authors of the book will dig deeper into these questions and provide suggestions.

Book Name
Trama in America‍

Author: Barna Group
Publisher: Barna Group

Introduction:

Mental trauma may seriously affect a person’s life. The personality of a person may completely change due to mental trauma. Research reveals that one in five U.S. adults has experienced the effects of trauma in the past 10 years. This rate is similar inside and outside of the church. In fact, many people suffering from trauma are open to the church’s help, even if they aren’t regular churchgoers. Therefore, church leaders have a special opportunity and responsibility to help those who are hurt. Two-thirds of practicing Christians say experiences of trauma ultimately brought them closer to God. But navigating the deep waters of trauma is difficult, and should be done with as much information and guidance as possible. Trama in America is a research project Barna teamed up with the American Bible Society to help church leaders understand how people face hardships and how the church can help. In the report, you will find the most common forms of trauma people are facing, how people cope with trauma and what symptoms they experience, what churches can do to love and serve the victims of trauma, and more.

Book Name
Trauma-Informed Pastoral Care: How to Respond When Things Fall Apart‍

Author: McClintock, Karen A.
Publisher: Fortress Press

Introduction:

Trauma can be the result of circumstances outside of our control. Natural disasters, accidents, tragedies, or any undesirable event may cause mental trauma. These life-disrupting, painful experiences shake us to the core and cause us to rethink goals, relationships, core beliefs, and faith.  Traumatic experiences that cause pain may affect the rest of one’s life if unable to be treated properly in time. The church has been and will always be a place of healing and spiritual renewal. Through the book Trauma-Informed Pastoral Care: How to Respond When Things Fall Apart, the author invites the readers to look through the trauma lens and introduce trauma care in diverse settings. Weaving together the latest insights about trauma-informed care from the rapidly developing disciplines of neuropsychology, counseling, and theology, the author also explains the body's instinctual stress patterns during and after trauma. The book will guide readers through self-reflection and self-regulation in order to care for others, and lower the risk of obtaining secondary trauma and suggest culturally sensitive models for healing from overwhelming experiences. This book is especially a good read for those serving care ministry.