How to Avoid the Malpractice of Ministry

Dr. Jerome E. King

Description

Using the metaphor of medical profession malpractices and lessons learned in the pandemic, this book combines organizational leadership and biblical scholarship, helping churches transform ministries for the new era.

The far-reaching impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has affected organizations of all types, including the church. It’s changed the way these entities serve their communities today and how they’ll continue to serve them throughout the postpandemic era.

In The Malpractice of Ministry, author Dr. Jerome King offers insight into ministering in the postpandemic era without compromising the Great Commission, delving into purpose-driven church pre-pandemic and postpandemic. Using the metaphor of malpractices in the medical profession and lessons learned in the pandemic, King combines organizational leadership and biblical scholarship to deliver the resource churches need to transform ministries for the new era.

The Malpractice of Ministry journeys through the process, from identifying symptoms and diagnosing ministry problems to incorporating proven measures with promising outcomes.

It urges churches to avoid the malpractice of ministry by taking proactive steps without compromising the church. King shows the best approach to ministry is based on the prayerful implementation of biblical integrity, sound organizational theory, and responsible ministry practice.

Sujets

• Christian Living
• Mentoring
• Philosophie et théologie
• Religion
• Leadership

Informations

• Publié par: WestBow Press
• Date de parution: 25 juillet 2022
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781664264618
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

HOW TO AVOID THE MALPRACTICE OF MINISTRY
Modern Medicine for Ministry in a Postpandemic Era
Dr. Jerome E. King


Copyright © 2022 Dr. Jerome E. King.
 
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
 
 
WestBow Press
A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan
1663 Liberty Drive
Bloomington, IN 47403
www.westbowpress.com
844-714-3454
 
Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.
 
Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.
 
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org
 
CDC disclaimer for use of its material: Reference to specific commercial products, manufacturers, companies, or trademarks does not constitute its endorsement or recommendation by the U.S. Government, Department of Health and Human Services, or Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
 
ISBN: 978-1-6642-6460-1 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-6642-6459-5 (hc)
ISBN: 978-1-6642-6461-8 (e)
 
Library of Congress Control Number: 2022907554
 
 
WestBow Press rev. date: 07/20/2022
CONTENTS
Author’s Note
Introduction
 
Chapter 1A Miscalculation of the Pandemic
Chapter 2A Misdiagnosis of the Problem
Chapter 3A Misdirection of the Program
Chapter 4A Mismanagement of the People
Chapter 5A Misalignment of the Process
Chapter 6A Misapplication of the Prescription
Chapter 7A Misbehavior of the People
 
Conclusion
Bibliography
DEDICATION
This book is dedicated to those who serve on the front lines of ministry, particularly during the Coronavirus pandemic. Amid the dangers and risks to yourself, you adjusted to the circumstances and used creative means to provide spiritual, emotional, mental, physical and material support to your members and the broader communities. You offered godly pastoral care for the nation during one of the most uncertain periods of our generation. Thanks to your bravery and God’s grace, we’re poised to equip the saints to minister to the needs of a new era of church ministry. May this book become a tool in the hands of leaders serving this present age, as they build solid foundations to transition their ministries and enable others to experience God in this postpandemic era.
To my adult children, Olivia Nicole and Jerome Eric King II, thank you for your unconditional love, sacrifice and support throughout my ministry. You became a very present help, ministering to me during the difficulties and challenges faced throughout the pandemic. Your loving presence remain a source of joy and hope that sustains me when challenged by the discontinuity of this present age.
Most of all, I dedicate this work to My Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! It is because of Him that I have been privileged to enjoy this new life and continue to progress in my development as His disciple and servant. All I have learned and experienced in becoming more like Him is because of His grace and favor. Thank You for saving me. Soli Deo Gloria!
AUTHOR’S NOTE
On March 11, 2020, the director-general, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, of the World Health Organization (WHO), officially declared the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak a global pandemic. This respiratory virus continues to duplicate, with more severe consequences than anything most of us have witnessed in our lifetime. Its death rate is ten times that of the flu. The good news is, for most people, the illness caused by the coronavirus is generally mild, and the flulike symptoms of fever and cough don’t last long. The bad news is the virus is highly contagious. The elderly and those with compromised immune systems or chronic diseases can become very sick and, in some cases, die.
The aggression of this world crisis has affected our whole way of life and even our vocabulary. We now speak of PPEs (personal protective equipment) to protect ourselves, being armed with facemasks, gloves, and in some instances face shields to protect us from infection. States were shut down, businesses closed, and airlines grounded as citizens were forced to shelter in place. Even essential personnel were forced to maintain physical distancing in this crisis.
Of course, the far-reaching impact of this pandemic has affected organizations of all types and has changed the way we serve our communities today and how we will continue to serve our communities throughout the postpandemic era. This is where the role of leadership comes into play. The first job of leadership is to define reality (Max Dupree, Leadership is an Art, 1989, 11). This defined reality provides the context for modern medicine for ministry in a postpandemic era.
A particular feature of this work is its approach to understanding ministry challenges by considering the subject matter and its relation to the practice of medicine. The varied nature of ministry and the problems that might accompany it require some unifying theme to provide unity to the discussion. Consequently, I have used medical images as a metaphor to illustrate and describe several points, frequently using a physician’s approach to addressing medical problems. For example, there are clear connections between a responsible spiritual leader’s reactions to a member’s stated issue and a medical doctor’s response to their patient’s complaints. When a patient experiences pain or complains of an illness in their body, they will describe their symptoms to the medical personnel. Prior training, education, and experience enable the physician to match those symptoms to known medical illnesses. They may make an initial diagnosis; however, this diagnosis is not enough to properly treat the ailment.
A responsible physician will further diagnose the problem by using a valid and reliable assessment measure to be sure the issue is correctly identified. Failure to provide a proper assessment can lead to treating symptoms for the wrong problem and giving a prescription that does more harm than good to the patient. Responsible physicians will not treat symptoms alone and will never prescribe a treatment without considering the patient’s overall health and circumstances. Neither should those in ministry.
One of the basic principles employed in this book is the Hippocratic oath. Named after the early Greek physician Hippocrates, this ethical oath is taken by physicians to this day. These guiding beliefs include the practice of medical confidentiality and nonmalfeasance, the primum nonnocere, “First do no harm.”
The procedures for treating ministry problems in this book are similar in application to the approach of a medical physician. Similar to medical issues, individual, personal, or congregational symptoms of discomfort, illness, or difficulties in ministry are of a serious nature. Such matters require the careful administration of measures to help and heal the patient appropriately. Readers will be guided through the process, from identifying symptoms and diagnosing ministry problems to incorporating proven measures with promising outcomes.
The body of this work is divided into chapters describing the symptoms, diagnosis, and solutions to the problems consistent with an understanding of ministry, ministry-based organizations, and a sensitivity to the spiritual context. Readers are moved toward the solution and directed to the administration of a prescription for their specific problem.
Careful consideration is given to the components that may greatly impact ministry success and vary from one context to another. For example, a church’s culture, environment (i.e., population, spiritual climate, socioeconomics, etc.), and the individuals who make up the congregation are unique to that ministry context. These factors will significantly affect strategy implementation, responses to leadership, and their followership. The administration of the measures contained in this book should be broken down into each specific ministry setting, with special considerations given to the unique circumstances in those contexts that are not covered in this work.
Of course, there are many dynamics to ministry, and a book of this size cannot address all the topics important to ministry practitioners. However, this resource will assist in bridging the gap between the needs for those serving in any ministry, experiencing the symptoms of ministry sickness, and those who are responsible for carrying out and leading in ministry (such as ministers, ministry practitioners, or consultants). This resource adds to the discussion of the many complications associated with ministry. It approaches the subject with an eye on both organizational leadership theory and practical execution techniques.
This book is not intended to be a quick fix or the recipe for every struggling ministry. This is not a cure for every ministry ill that one might encounter in their service to others. The goal is to highlight areas of service that tend to be more common and vulnerable to the malpractice of ministry. The malpractice of ministry are actions that n