Audiobook7 hours
Politics of Ministry: Navigating Power Dynamics and Negotiating Interests
Written by Bob Burns, Donald C. Guthrie and Bob Souer
Narrated by Bob Souer
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
3.5/5
()
About this audiobook
We all need help navigating the politics of ministry.Politics is often considered a dirty word. It brings to mind lies and manipulation, accusations and scandals. But at its most basic level, politics is simply the everyday activity of getting things done with other people: understanding their interests, recognizing the power dynamics at play, and learning how to negotiate relationships and institutions to achieve a common goal. These realities are as true in ministry settings as anywhere else. In The Politics of Ministry, Bob Burns, Tasha Chapman, and Donald Guthrie combine their long ministry experience with sociological research on the topic. Filled with real-life stories taken from a variety of ministry settings, this book sets out wise principles and practices that help us see more clearly the political dynamics at play in our churches and parachurch ministries. All ministry is political. As servants of Christ's kingdom, we are called to navigate the politics of ministry with grace, wisdom, and charity. This book shows us how the gospel of Jesus changes the way we work with those around us toward our common goal.
Author
Bob Burns
Bob Burns (Ph.D., University of Georgia) is the dean of lifelong learning and associate professor of education ministries at Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis. He is also ordained in the Presbyterian Church in America and serves as associate pastor at Crossroads Presbyterian Fellowship.
Related to Politics of Ministry
Related audiobooks
Uncommon Church: Community Transformation for the Common Good Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLearning to Disagree: The Surprising Path to Navigating Differences with Empathy and Respect Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Minority Experience: Navigating Emotional and Organizational Realities Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Beautiful Community: Unity, Diversity, and the Church at Its Best Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Culture Making: Recovering Our Creative Calling Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Connected Life: The Art and Science of Relational Spirituality Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Faithful Antiracism: Moving Past Talk to Systemic Change Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5In Search of the Common Good: Christian Fidelity in a Fractured World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Spirit of Our Politics: Spiritual Formation and the Renovation of Public Life Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Three Pieces of Glass: Why We Feel Lonely in a World Mediated by Screens Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Mending the Soul, Second Edition: Understanding and Healing Abuse Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Diversity Gap: Where Good Intentions Meet True Cultural Change Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDigital, Diverse&Divided: How to Talk to Racists, Compete with Robots, and Overcome Polarization Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Kingdom and Country: Following Jesus in the Land that You Love Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Church of Us vs. Them: Freedom from a Faith That Feeds on Making Enemies Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Faith for This Moment: Navigating a Polarized World as the People of God Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Institutional Intelligence: How to Build an Effective Organization Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Managing Leadership Anxiety: Yours and Theirs Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Shrinking the Integrity Gap: Between What Leaders Preach and Live Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Wisdom from Babylon: Leadership for the Church in a Secular Age Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Leading With a Limp: Take Full Advantage of Your Most Powerful Weakness Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Right Color, Wrong Culture: The Type of Leader Your Organization Needs to Become Multiethnic Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Gravitas: The Monastic Rhythms of Healthy Leadership Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Stronger Together: Seven Partnership Virtues and the Vices that Subvert Them Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Healthy Leadership for Thriving Organizations: Creating Contexts Where People Flourish Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRedeeming Power: Understanding Authority and Abuse in the Church Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Strong and Weak: Embracing a Life of Love, Risk and True Flourishing Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Chasing Wisdom: The Lifelong Pursuit of Living Well Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Rare Leadership: 4 Uncommon Habits For Increasing Trust, Joy, and Engagement in the People You Lead Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Business For You
The Charisma Myth: How Anyone Can Master the Art and Science of Personal Magnetism (Intl Ed) Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5How To Win Friends And Influence People Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Rich Dad Poor Dad: What The Rich Teach Their Kids About Money - That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not! Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Becoming Bulletproof: Protect Yourself, Read People, Influence Situations, and Live Fearlessly Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Think Faster, Talk Smarter: How to Speak Successfully When You're Put on the Spot Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The TenX Rule: The Only Difference Between Success and Failure Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Algorithms to Live By: The Computer Science of Human Decisions Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Manage Your Day-to-Day: Build Your Routine, Find Your Focus, and Sharpen Your Creative Mind Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Artist's Way at Work: Riding the Dragon: Twelve Weeks to Creative Freedom Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Seeing What Others Don't: The Remarkable Ways We Gain Insights Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Your Next Five Moves: Master the Art of Business Strategy Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Getting to Yes: How to Negotiate Agreement Without Giving In Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5You Will Own Nothing: Your War with a New Financial World Order and How to Fight Back Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Millionaire Next Door: The Surprising Secrets Of Americas Wealthy Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The New One Minute Manager Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Energy Bus: 10 Rules to Fuel Your Life, Work, and Team with Positive Energy Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Sociopath Next Door: The Ruthless Versus the Rest of Us Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Undoing Project: A Friendship that Changed Our Minds Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Elon Musk Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Art of Happiness: A Handbook for Living Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How to Manage Your Money When You Don't Have Any Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How To Lie With Statistics Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Anatomy of Peace, Fourth Edition: Resolving the Heart of Conflict Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Company Rules: Or Everything I Know About Business I Learned from the CIA Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Silva Mind Control Method Of Mental Dynamics Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Catalyst: How to Change Anyone's Mind Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Reviews for Politics of Ministry
Rating: 3.6666666666666665 out of 5 stars
3.5/5
3 ratings1 review
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A technical, but fruitful, exploration of power dynamics and interests in church ministry.The authors explore four examples of ministry experiences and analyze the "politics" involved. They explain the use of the term "politics" and its existence in church ministry - the negotiation of various interests as they all attempt to leverage the influence and power they have to accomplish what they deem to be their purposes/the best way forward. The authors address the different kinds of interest which might exist, different forms of power and influence, how negotiation takes place, what kinds of moves various persons will make, and reach the point of establishing a four-square dynamic of levels of power and interaction, from working together without reference to power dynamics to unequal power being leveraged to impose a will from "on high." The work is a helpful explication of power dynamics in ministry; to this end, anyone entering ministry would do well to read the book, since power dynamics will be far more involved in what you're doing than you would have imagined. Those with a few years in ministry will tend to find their experiences characterized and explained in this work.Valuable for its purposes.**--galley received as part of early review program