New Releases: February 11, 2009

Mad Church Disease: Overcoming the Burnout Epidemic
Anne Jackson
Zondervan, February 2009

Does working at this church interfere with your communion with Christ? That question may have saved author Anne Jackson's life. She believes it could save yours too. As the daughter of a pastor, Anne saw the struggles leaders face and the toll it can take on their families. She vowed her life in ministry would be different. Yet, years later, as a church leader, she was hospitalized because stress began wreaking havoc on her body. She had burned out. Anne developed a web site that allowed church leaders to share their struggles. Within a few days, she was flooded with over a thousand responses from people pouring out stories of pain. This book is born out of that experience, and is a lively and life-saving resource for anyone in a ministry who'd like to understand the epidemic of burnout in church culture.





Make Poverty Personal
Ash Barker
Baker Books, February 2009


God is concerned about poverty. Are you? In a world of plenty, poverty abounds. But poverty is not new. And neither is God's deep concern for the poor; it is a theme deeply woven throughout the pages of Scripture. Yet, sadly, churches have too often been blind to this emphasis, or have been paralyzed into inaction by feelings of helplessness. It's time to change. This book offers challenge and hope. Working his way through both testaments, the author reflects on significant passages related to God's concern for the poor. These studies are interlaced with personal reflections and firsthand accounts from 15 years of ministry among the poor. Whether you read this book alone or with your small group, you'll be challenged to make poverty personal.