Vulnerable Pastor – How Human Limitations Empower Our Ministry

Missio Alliance Essential Reading List Hearts Minds Bookstore's Best Books ProdigalThought.net's Top Reads Englewood Review of Books Best Books Leadership Journal's Best Ministry Books of the YearOften as pastors we feel like we need to project strength and competency in order to minister effectively. That's why we go to conferences and emulate the latest superstars. But we know we can never live up to those images. Deep down, we know our own limitations, our weaknesses, our faults. We fear that if people knew who we really are, we'd be disqualified from ministry.Not so. Mandy Smith unpacks the biblical paradox that God's strength is revealed through our human weakness. Transparently describing her pastoral journey, Smith shows how vulnerability shapes ministry, through our spiritual practices and relationships, influencing our preaching, teaching and even the nuts and bolts of the daily schedule. Understanding our human constraints makes our ministry more sustainable and guards us against disillusionment and burnout.We don't have to have it all together. Recognizing our weakness makes us rely on God, so our weakness can become a ministry resource. God has called you to lead not as a demigod, but as a human, so the world can see that the church is a place for humans like them.

"Mandy Smith has given us a wonderful guide to pastoral well-being and faithful excellence. She has discovered that our limitations are the womb of possibility and that when we are weak, we are strong in God.", "Despite the reference to pastoral ministry in its title, this book is one that should be read much more broadly than just by pastors. While especially vital for pastors, it is no less significant when read by laypeople, as it is a poignant reminder of the humanity of our leaders and of the call for each of us to devote ourselves to the work of the Gospel. Smith?s call to live faithfully within the bounds of our humanness will guide us toward a deeper life together that is both more joyful and more sustainable.", "This is a compelling witness for pastors who want to be honest without being self-indulgent. The vulnerable pastor dares to follow the vulnerable God who finds strength in weakness.", "The Vulnerable Pastor is a great book for Christians, and especially pastors, who feel discouraged and ashamed of weaknesses in a culture focused on strength, performance, and having it all together. Smith prophetically calls the church to renounce the idol of strength in leadership and to rely on God's strength in our weakness. The practice of becoming vulnerable is a means by which a new generation of pastors can develop the necessary virtues of courage and humility.", "Vulnerability in ministry is a too often ignored topic. It doesn't need to be. Smith helps readers see that talking about our limitations isn't just a good idea, it's absolutely essential for healthy kingdom leaders, and what people in the pew so desperately long to see."

Originally from Australia, Mandy Smith is lead pastor of University Christian Church, a campus and neighborhood congregation with its own fair-trade café in Cincinnati, Ohio. She is a regular contributor to Leadership Journal and PARSE and the author of Making a Mess and Meeting God. She is also the creator of The Collect, a citywide trash-to-art project. She and her husband live with their two children in a little house where the teapot is always warm. David Hansen is pastor of Heritage Community Church in Cincinnati, Ohio. He has also pastored in Montana, the setting for many of the stories in his book The Art of Pastoring: Ministry Without All the Answers (IVP). Hansen is also author of Loving the Church You Lead: Pastoring with Acceptance and Grace (Baker).In 1999, Hansen was awarded an honorary doctor of divinity degree from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. He has been a contributing editor for Leadership Journal, and is a frequent speaker at pastoral ministry conferences.