The Emotionally Healthy Church

Today I finished Peter Scazzero’s book “The Emotionally Healthy Church.” I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I learned a LOT about myself and the work that God still needs to do in my life in order for me to be a leader that helps others become emotionally healthy. Here is an overview of the book:

True discipleship integrates emotional and spiritual health. New Life Fellowship in Queens, New York, had it all: powerful preaching, dynamic ministries, an impressive growth rate, and a vision to do great works for God. Things looked good – but beneath the surface, circumstances were more than just brewing. They were about to boil over, forcing Peter Scazzero to confront needs in his church and himself that went deeper than he’d ever imagined. What he learned about the vital link between emotional health, relational depth, and spiritual maturity can shed new light on painful problems in your own church. Here are refreshing insights, and a different and challenging slant on what it take to lead your congregation to wholeness and maturity in Christ.

Our churches are in trouble, says Scazzero. They are filled with people who are:

unsure how to biblically integrate anger, sadness, and other emotions
defensive, incapable of revealing their weaknesses
threatened by or intolerant of different viewpoints
zealous about ministering at church but blind to their spouses loneliness at home
so involved in “serving” that they fail to take care of themselves
prone to withdraw from conflict rather than resolve it

Sharing from New Life Fellowship’s painful but liberating journey, Scazzero reveals exactly how the truth can and does make people free – not just superficially, but deep down. After offering a new vision of discipleship and a revealing, guided self-assessment of your own spiritual and emotional maturity. The “Emotionally Healthy Church” takes you through six principles that can make a profound difference in your church. You’ll acquire knowledge and tools that can you and others: look beneath the surface of problems – break the power of past wounds, failures, sins, and circumstances – live a life of brokenness and vulnerability – recognize and honour personal limitations and boundaries – embrace grief and loss – make incarnation your model to love others.

Written in a personal and passionate style, “The Emotionally Healthy Church” includes hands-on tools, discussion questions, spotlights on key points, and story after story of people at New Life whose lives have been changed by the concepts in this book. Open these pages, and find out how your church can turn a new corner on the road to spiritual maturity.

I want to encourage EVERYONE to read this book. It will radically affect your life! I am excited to see what God is going to continue to do in my life as I put these principles into action. In three weeks, I will be leaving to go to the “Emotionally Healthy Spirituality” conference at Scazzero’s church in Queens, New York. I am sure that I will be learning a lot more about what it means to have an emotionally healthy spirituality.

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