Sustaining a Healthy Ministerial Workplace

It is often easier to describe the problem than figure out what to do about it. This book does both. It emerges from the research of Dr. Barabra Sutton on burnout in ministry. She was surprised to learn that burnout was not the issue, but disengagement–and disengagement was the byproduct of unhealthy workplaces. The authors invited eight experienced ministers to develop stories from their work that illustrated the elements of a healthy workplace: community, values, vocation, fairness, workload, control, reward, and financial well-being. While the stories themselves often recount moments of heartbreak familiar to ministers, they provide theological interpretation that returns the emphasis to the transformative power of each element.

Barbara Sutton, DMin, has extensive ministerial experience in parish, diocesan, and national levels. she now directs the initiative, “Bridge-Builders for a Thriving Mission,” at Saint John’s School of Theology and Seminary in Collegeville, MN.

Victor Klimoski, PhD, served as director of lifelong learning for Saint John’s School of Theology and Seminary for fifteen years. He continues to work as a consultant and facilitator with ministry and nonministry groups.
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