Customer Reviews

It Only Hurts on Monday: Why Pastors Quit and What You Can Do about It

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I'm on my second read of the book, it's that helpful! Love the parts on leadership, using it in our Evangelism Committee. Thanks for opening our eyes to the realities of ministry. Feels good to know someone else feels them.

This work says virtually nothing new to a seasoned pastor. I have been in ministry for nearly twenty years, most of it pastoral, and as I read this book I found myself saying, "yeah, no kidding!" There are really no new revelations regarding what pastors go through. However, this book has one very relevant purpose; to help congregations understand the realities of pastoring, and further, suggestions as to how they might make their pastor's life better.
The practical worksheet with biblical support at the end of each chapter is what makes this book a worthy publication. I highly recommend using this book with the primary leaders of a congregation-either as preventative medicine or as a tool for reassessing congregational expectations of their pastor.

This book is an exceptional informational tool that should be read by every pastor and church board member. The authors take several difficult and oftentimes complicated areas of pastoral ministry and couch them in a vernacular that is easily read and understood. Rather than leaving a local parish or the ministry in general, any pastor can be enlightened by this book's content and the straightforward, yet tender, way sensitive issues are addressed. Rather than allowing a pastor to leave or contributing to the foci that cause pastors to leave, church lay leaders can be greatly equipped with an honest evaluation of what pastoral ministry entails and how the laity can stem the tide of early pastoral resignations.
As the authors describe, to think that the average tenure of an American Protestant pastor is some two to three years is truly saddening. By definition, a pastor is one who is called to the long-term health and spiritual well-being of a group (flock) of believers. Unfortunately, this spiritual gift is usurped in the interest of what is most expedient, leaving in its wake hurt pastors and pastors' families, and hurt lay people. When the proverbial ship is sinking, it is irrelevant to cry, "Who's responsible? What happened?" It is merely time to help save as many people as is possible. With tools such as It Only Hurts on Monday, our local parishes can better equip pastors and lay leaders to understand what is causing so many pastoral ships to sink.
As the reader works through this book, he or she will notice the very helpful section at the close of each chapter entitled "You Can Help!" There are practical suggestions outlined on how to become involved in the process of pastor-building and of strengthening relationships between pastor and people. These suggestions are also delineated in summary form near the close of the text. I highly recommend this book to anyone directly or indirectly involved in pastoral ministry.

McIntosh, Gary L., and Robert L. Edmondson. It Only Hurts on Monday, Carol Stream, IL: ChurchSmart Resources, 1998, 170 pp.

It Only Hurts on Monday is the product of research, experience and direct contact with pastors and churches by these two authors. With their experience and expertise, they set out to answer the question, "Why are pastors quitting and what can be done about it?" The purpose of this book is to explore nine problems with which pastors struggle: burnout, professional isolation, inadequate education, unrealistic expectations, resistance to change, poor pastoral accountability, tight finances, personal loneliness and spiritual warfare. At the conclusion of each of these nine chapters is a section entitled "You can Help!" The authors offer anywhere from two to five specific steps a church member can take to help his/her pastor with that particular issue.

The concern of these authors is that churches and pastors need solutions. The statistics on the attrition rate among pastors is startling, with the average stay being 2.3 years for the protestant pastor. This trend has a negative effect on churches as well as pastors.

These authors arrive at conclusions which are nothing new for those who have been in the pastoral ministry. This book is intended to bring self-awareness of his own needs to the pastor's attention as well as to educate and provide insight for the lay person into the unique calling of the pastor. This book is a must read for pastors, their families and the laity. It is laid out in an easy-to-read format with vital information on every page. It does not run thin on content at any time. Pastors will resonate with its wisdom but the lay person may not fully grasp its urgency. Perhaps this book can bridge the chasm between the two as we seek to understand the negative impact upon the life of the pastor and what can be done about it.

It Only Hurts On Monday is an encouraging book that truly gives voice to the concerns of every pastor who comes face to face with the dark days of ministerial life. Dr. Gary L. McIntosh and Dr. Robert L. Edmondson do a wonderful job of identifying the obstacles that ministers face, and they helpfully provide incredible ideas to preventatively address very real problems.
Most pastors who read this book will affirm and understand exactly what the authors are talking about. If the lay people in congregations would read and follow the suggestions at the end of each chapter, they would truly have an impact upon the lives of a pastoral staff. This book helps bring focus to these issues: burnout, the value of a pastor's job, the value of continuing education and training, understanding unrealistic expectations, accountability, support in the midst of change, money and the pastor's compensation, adequate emotional support, the real temptation from Satan set against the pastor, and the pressures of never being off duty. All these issues help the reader gain a greater appreciation for the high calling of being a pastor in today's culture.
This book, if heeded, can help minimize the negative factors in a pastor's life that work to derail him or her from the ranks of active ministry. People who read this book will become a greater support to their ministers.