The Emotionally Healthy Church; A Strategy for Discipleship that Actually Changes Lives

Scazzero, Peter. Bird, Warren. The Emotionally Healthy Church; A Strategy for Discipleship that Actually Changes Lives. Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Mich. 2003, Price 27.95, pp. 221. Available at Leadership Centre 1-800-804-0777.
Peter Scazzero- founder and senior pastor of New Life Fellowship, Queens. (multicultural, multiracial) Warren Bird- researcher of cutting-edge churches.
Part One- Discipleship’s Missing Link.
Introduction.
The author feels strongly about the tendency for church leaders to have an incomplete picture when assessing spirituality. The focus on spirituality must include emotional issues.
Ch. 1. As Go The Leaders, So Goes The Church.
The author shares his personal story of being a defeated church leader and an unsuccessful marriage partner and what it took to come to the place where he began a journey to emotional wellness.
Ch. 2. Something Is Desperately Wrong.
This chapter includes a number of stories about well known Christian leaders whose lives were missing emotional health. The results were tragic.
Part Two- Biblical Basis for a New Paradigm of Discipleship..
Ch. 3. Discipleship’s Next Frontier- Emotional Health.
"Contemporary discipleship models often lift up the spiritual over the physical, emotional, social, and intellectual components of who we are." 49. The thesis of this book is "that emotional health and spiritual health are inseparable". 50. Jesus was divine but he was also very human. He modeled emotional health.
Ch. 4. Inventory of Spiritual/ Emotional Maturity.
An actual inventory of forty seven questions is presented with a guide to assess the results. A practical tool for evaluation.
Part Three. Six Principles of an Emotionally Healthy Church.
Ch. 5. Principle 1. Look Beneath the Surface.
To refuse to look beneath the surface can have very tragic results. Many people think they are looking beneath the surface but in actual fact they are not. It involves a high level of pain. Four steps are presented that will help look beneath the surface.
Ch. 6. Principle 2. Break the Power of the Past.
The negative power of the past must first be clearly described before it can be broken. Illustrations are given. Do a genogram. (The impact of family and ancestors). How were you shaped by your family? The church can provide a spiritual parenting. When working with others consider their family baggage.
Ch. 7. Principle 3. Live in Brokenness and Vulnerability.
Brokenness is common to humanity. A chart is presented comparing pride and defensiveness with brokenness and vulnerability. Paul ministered out of brokenness. Handicaps are not necessarily a liability, they can become an asset. The parable of the prodigal son is used to illustrate brokenness and vulnerability and its opposite.
Ch. 8. Principle 4. Receive the Gift of Limits.
We need to understand and respect our limits. Even Jesus accepted limits. "It is a myth that I can be anything that I desire." 141. As we determine our limits we consider our personality, season of life, capacities, etc. Here are some ways of applying limits to a church. "Emphasizing self-care of leaders, setting limits on invasive people (e.g.r.), giving people freedom to say no, and intentionally teaching boundaries throughout the church." 145.
Ch. 9. Principle 5. Embrace Grieving and Loss.
Loss "will transform us or destroy us, but it will never leave us the same". Gerald Sittser. Suffering has the potential for soul growth. All losses need to be grieved. Forgiveness without grieving is superficial. Grieving is a process. It has specific phases. "1. Paying attention" 158 to the loss. "2. Living in the confusing in-between," 164, the waiting period. "3. Allowing the old to birth the new." 167.
Ch. 10. Principle 6. Make Incarnation Your Model For Loving Well.
Being Christ-like is, should be, the goal of every serious believer. For us to practice incarnation involves the challenge of entering into other people’s worlds. This requires skills such as reflective listening. As we enter another’s world we must hold on to ourselves. "When we choose to incarnate, we hang between our own world and the world of another." 189.
Part Four- Where Do We Go From Here?
Ch. 11. Next Steps into the New Frontier of Discipleship.
Mentoring is key to meaningful change. Change takes time. We need the power of prayer, individually and as a church..Change begins with individuals.
Ch.12. Discussion Guide for Restructuring Discipleship.
This is a kind of work-book with eight sessions and questions in those sessions that are a guide to work through the materials in this book.

Comments. HD.
The author shares a lot of his personal life as a husband and pastor as he deals very honestly with the challenges of a life that is spiritually and emotionally healthy. His concerns are for church leaders personally and for the church corporately. He stresses the importance of an effective strategy of discipleship. This discipleship is presented as six principles of an emotionally healthy church. A very practical resource that will be helpful to church leaders (personally) as they seek to lead people to emotional spiritual health.