How Your Church Family Works: Understanding Congregations as Emotional Systems

by Peter L. Steinke

Publisher:

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

, 2006

Overview

Drawing on the work of Bowen, Friedman, and his own many years’ counseling experience, Peter Steinke shows how to recognize and deal with the emotional roots of such issues as church conflict, leadership roles, congregational change, irresponsible behavior, and the effect of family of origin on current relationships. Discover why working relationships may be “stuck” in certain behaviors. Psychologically sound, theologically grounded, and practically illustrated with case studies, How Your Church Family Works will help you better understand how your congregation works and how to keep it healthy. Featuring a new preface and a fresh redesign, the book is a classic work by one of the most respected names in congregational consulting.

Praise for How Your Church Family Works

How Your Church Family Works is one of the most insightful books I’ve read in a long time. . . .I’ll be mulling over these systems thinking concepts for years to come. . . .[This book is] worth reading a.s.a.p.

Dr. Steinke helps readers understand the complex relationships of the family unit, while also discovering ways to make these relationships work more effectively.

Here’s a book that sheds light on the puzzle presented by troubled congregations. Steinke’s insights from the theory of family systems lead clergy and laity to deeper understanding and discernment rather than to easy answers and quick fixes. . . . After years of trying to deal with the church from a fatigued, business oriented model, I found in this book a better way to think about how congregations work, or (I should say) relate—especially in crisis.

Product Details

• Title : How Your Church Family Works: Understanding Congregations as Emotional Systems
• Author: Steinke, Peter L.
• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
• Publication Date: 2006
• ISBN: 9781566995511

About Peter L. Steinke

Peter L. Steinke is an internationally recognized leadership consultant who has served as a parish pastor, therapist, director of a counseling center, educator, and executive director of Healthy Congregations. He is the author of several books, including Congregational Leadership in Anxious Times: Being Calm and Courageous No Matter What.