There's plenty of advice out there for people starting out in church leadership, but what about the stuff nobody really prepares you for? The angry emails, the difficult conversations, trying to build a team, and even having to organise your first funeral service.
Those are some of the things covered in The First Five: Beating the Odds and Thriving as a Ministry Leader, a new book from father and son Kyle Worley and Joseph Worley, released by B&H Publishing Group on November 10.
Kyle will be familiar to listeners of the Knowing Faith podcast, where he is one of the regular hosts alongside Jen Wilkin and JT English. His father Joe has spent more than 45 years in ministry leadership and is currently concluding a 31-year spell as pastor of First Baptist Church of Groves in Texas.
The book is built around a problem the pair believe deserves more attention. They point to the number of ministry leaders who don't make it beyond their first five years, with burnout, a lack of training and not having someone to turn to for advice all contributing to the problem.
There's also a lot more to it than telling new pastors to work harder or spend more time reading leadership books. The Worleys look at the personal side of ministry as well, including physical, emotional and spiritual routines, communication, building teams and dealing with the less predictable parts of pastoral work.
It features advice on responding to angry emails and preparing for a first funeral service, which gives you a better idea of the sort of book this is. It's meant to be used by people actually doing the job, not just sit on a shelf as another leadership title.
Kyle and Joe also discussed the book on a recent Knowing Faith episode, asking what makes a ministry leader trustworthy and why so many people are struggling to remain in church leadership. Having a father and son talk through those questions brings a personal side to the subject, particularly given Joe's long experience as a pastor and Kyle's work in ministry and Christian media.
The First Five is available in paperback from B&H Publishing, with an audiobook edition also released on November 10.
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