Politics of Ministry, Donald C. Guthrie
Politics of Ministry, Donald C. Guthrie
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Politics of Ministry
Navigating Power Dynamics and Negotiating Interests

Author: Donald C. Guthrie, Bob Souer, Bob Burns

Narrator: TBD

Unabridged: 7 hr 17 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 01/08/2019

Synopsis

We all need help navigating the politics of ministry.Politics is often considered a dirty word. It brings to mind lies and manipulation, accusations and scandals. But at its most basic level, politics is simply the everyday activity of getting things done with other people: understanding their interests, recognizing the power dynamics at play, and learning how to negotiate relationships and institutions to achieve a common goal. These realities are as true in ministry settings as anywhere else. In The Politics of Ministry, Bob Burns, Tasha Chapman, and Donald Guthrie combine their long ministry experience with sociological research on the topic. Filled with real-life stories taken from a variety of ministry settings, this book sets out wise principles and practices that help us see more clearly the political dynamics at play in our churches and parachurch ministries. All ministry is political. As servants of Christ's kingdom, we are called to navigate the politics of ministry with grace, wisdom, and charity. This book shows us how the gospel of Jesus changes the way we work with those around us toward our common goal.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Tyler

Took me a while to get through it, and it would probably have been a 3 star but chapter 9 is well worth the price of admission (easily a 5 star chapter), so because of it alone, I’ll give it 4 stars. It’s too bad you can’t read that chapter without the context of the rest of the stories in the book.......more

Goodreads review by Conrade

The word 'politics' has often been used pejoratively. From world leaders to local associations, people see politicians or the way of politics as a necessary evil. We may hate it but we cannot do without it. Even in non-profit organizations, there has been accusations of politics played by those jost......more

Goodreads review by Tyler

This is such an important work. I think theological education, particularly those programs that seek to prepare ministers, needs to seriously consider included a whole course based on these concepts. I love deep theology as much as the next nerd, but in my experience, 99% of the church drama, church......more

Goodreads review by Ethan

A technical, but fruitful, exploration of power dynamics and interests in church ministry. The authors explore four examples of ministry experiences and analyze the "politics" involved. They explain the use of the term "politics" and its existence in church ministry - the negotiation of various inter......more

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