Don't Blow Up Your Ministry - by Michael MacKenzie (Paperback)

About the Book

There's a ticking time bomb in your ministry. Is it you? With vivid pictures of both self-destructive patterns and reconstructive grace, counselor Michael MacKenzie helps pastors avert moral failures and repair shipwrecked ministries. Addressing issues like shame, burnout, sexual misconduct, and more, this resource will help you become both the pastor and the person God intends you to be.

Book Synopsis

There's a ticking time bomb in your ministry. Is it you? With vivid pictures of both self-destructive patterns and reconstructive grace, counselor Michael MacKenzie helps pastors avert moral failures and repair shipwrecked ministries. Addressing issues like shame, burnout, sexual misconduct, and more, this resource will help you become both the pastor and the person God intends you to be.

Review Quotes

"As 'successful' leaders it's easy for us to become so busy helping others discover who they are 'in Christ' that we forget to apply those truths to ourselves. Mike shares wisdom and discernment that is founded in a both a solid head knowledge and passionate heart knowledge of God's Word honed through decades of in-the-trenches experience in helping those who have spent their lives helping others. He goes beyond describing and defining the problem to detailing practical ways to not just get through but actually learn from and grow through the dark and difficult times in the process of becoming more than conquerors. God has given Mike a comforting, convicting, encouraging, and empowering message that will provide help and hope for anyone who has felt discouraged, defeated, overwhelmed, and ready to give up. This is one of those rich books that you'll want to read more than once."

"Every pastor needs to read this book. Why? Because every minister is vulnerable. If you think you aren't-you're especially at risk. Don't Blow Up Your Ministry is grounded in biblical wisdom and practical experience. It's chock-full of real-life applications. If you are a leader in ministry, don't miss out on Michael MacKenzie's life-giving message."

"Michael MacKenzie knows what brokenness and wholeness in the lives of leaders look like. For years he has dealt with both in their various forms (moral, spiritual, emotional, relational) at the Marble Retreat in Colorado, where leaders come when life is in the process of (as he puts it) blowing up. MacKenzie's book (his first) is a must-read for any man, woman, or married couple in leadership who seek to chart a new path in the direction of lifelong resilience and effectiveness."

"Serving and leading in the local church places pastors and church leaders at a difficult intersection. The pressure to perform coupled with awareness (or denial) of our own sin, brokenness, and fragility leave us dangerously vulnerable to a wide variety of potential pitfalls. In this book, Michael MacKenzie offers us a sobering reality check right alongside immense hope. Out of our shame, fear, and pain, God can still bring about surprising good, and Don't Blow Up Your Ministry presents a compelling first word in a critically important ongoing conversation."

"This book is not just for pastors but a guide for each of us, from the professionally trained to those who volunteer. Why? Because we all started with a passion, a calling, a felt ministry for those we came alongside. It contributed to our sense of significance, developed compassion, and created feelings of belonging while caring for others. Yet this sense of serving and sacrifice can get us into trouble, wear us out, and make us hate what we used to love! Though Don't Blow Up Your Ministry focuses on pastors, the concepts are applicable to all who serve, both in a vocation or as a volunteer. Don't destroy what you love doing most. Be proactive, drawing on the safeguards and practices laid out in Don't Blow Up Your Ministry, and looking back you will be grateful for the long-lasting, immense satisfaction of your calling."

"With grace and compassion, Mike MacKenzie poignantly lays out the necessity for pastors to receive their own pastoral care. He invites pastors to dig deep, exploring the underlying issues that if unattended could result not only in personal harm but in communal damage. His intimate knowledge of pastors who've struggled, combined with his clinical expertise, gives weight and heartache to the many people who could've benefited from this book years ago. This is an essential read for every pastor, every ministry worker, and every seminary student. You are loved, you are not alone, and you, too, need care."

"You will learn to not be content with surface treatments of destructive behavior. You will develop the ability to look beneath the surface to address the root causes. I enthusiastically commend this book to you."

About the Author

Michael MacKenzie is a licensed professional counselor, ordained pastor, and hospital chaplain. He has served for ten years as the clinical director of Marble Retreat, a Colorado retreat center that specializes in ministering to pastors and ministry leaders in crisis. He studied marriage and family counseling at Denver Seminary and has a DMin in pastor care from Lincoln Christian University. Michael and his wife, Kari, have two sons and live in Florida.