Anxious times call for steady leadership. When tensions emerge in a congregation, its leaders cannot be as anxious as the people they serve. To remain effective, congregational leaders must control their own uneasiness. This takes self-awareness and confidence to manage relationships and influence behaviors. Knowing how to deal with anxiety and how to work throug complex challenges can lead a congregation to new insights, growth, and vitality. Anxious times hold not only the potential for loss but also for creation, important lernings, and changes that will strengthen the congregation. With this new book, internationally respected consultant Peter Steinke goes deeper into the requirements of effective congregational leadership. Born from the wisdom of Steinkes distinguished career, this new volume will both enlighten and embolden leaders. Steinke inspires courage in leaders to maintain the course, unearth secrets, resist sabotage, withstand fury, and overcome timidity or doubts. His insights, illustrations, and provocations will carry leaders through rough times, provide clarity during confusing times, and uplift them in joyous times.
Peter L. Steinke is an internationally respected congregational systems consultant who has also served as a parish pastor, an eduator, and a therapist for clergy. He is the author of the best-selling books How Your Church Family Works and Healthy Congregations.
Foreword, Rick Foss
Preface
Acknowledgments
PART 1: THE LEADERS PRESENCE
Chapter 1: Anxious Souls
Chapter 2: The Balancing Act
Chapter 3: The Nonanxious Presence
PART 2: THE LEADERS FUNCTIONING
Chapter 4: Holy Tissue
Chapter 5: Influencing the Emotional Field
Chapter 6: The Essential Edge
PART 3: THE LEADERS CHALLENGES
Chapter 7: We versus They
Chapter 8: Rocking the Emotional Boat
Chapter 9: To Challenge or to Survive
Postscript: People of the Charm
Notes
This is the book you’ll want on your shelf and will want to read carefully and digest if you hope to master a rudimentary understanding of the way family systems theory addresses leadership in a congregation. — New England Lutheran Theological Forum
Dr. Steinke once again illuminates the path towards healthier, more effective church leadership. He consistently provides deep wisdom that is both relevant and transformative. — James Boyer, pastoral psychotherapist and organizational consultant
A faithful book, full of insight and illustration. — Rick Foss, Bishop, Eastern North Dakota Synod, ELCA
In his first two books, Peter Steinke effectively offered the lens of family systems through which to see congregational life. In this new book, he continues his tradition of wit, clarity, and insight while moving to a new level of depth and artistry. — W. Craig Gilliam, Director, The Center for Pastoral Effectiveness, The Louisiana Annual Conference of the UMC
