When Ministry Hurts

""Dale Sanger has addressed a critical question for those--especially leaders--whose experience of the Christian life fails to live up to an upbeat narrative of healing and blessing. Using Martin Luther's theology of the cross as a corrective to Pentecostal triumphalism, Sanger offers hope for those who long for a way forward amid crushing realities of life and ministry."" --Gordon L. Heath, professor of Christian history, and Centenary Chair in World Christianity, McMaster Divinity College ""Most every pastor experiences some kind of trauma as a result of performing their ministerial duties as well as through various personal experiences. If the minister is embedded in a tradition that emphasizes a triumphalist theology, their ability to process trauma can be highly challenging. This book provides a response to that challenge and offers hope to those clergy who are looking for a constructive way to process the trauma that ministry and life sometimes inflict upon them."" --Lee Beach, associate professor of Christian ministry, McMaster Divinity College, and author of The Church in Exile: Living in Hope after Christendom ""As a leader of a fellowship of Pentecostal churches and ministers I found it worthwhile to engage the data and observations of Dale Sanger's study of colleagues who have experienced deep hurt as part of their ministry experience. The interaction he provides between the results of the survey with phenomenology and practical theology provides a fresh way to ponder the experiences of others and to look at potential ways to broaden the supportive teaching and resources that are made available."" --David Wells, general superintendent, The Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada