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13 opere 612 membri 16 recensioni

Opere di Peter Greer

Etichette

Informazioni generali

Data di nascita
1975
Sesso
male

Utenti

Recensioni

Every manager, CEO, pastor, leader, and organizational board needs to read this book. It may be the most important book since "Who Moved My Cheese."
 
Segnalato
mattlink | 3 altre recensioni | Feb 18, 2021 |
Peter Greer is no stranger to doing good. As president and CEO of HOPE International, he has invested his life in addressing both physical and spiritual poverty through microfinance. However he also knows the shadow side which can accompany good doing. When people give their life in service through activism, missions or ministry, they may end up serving from the wrong center. Some serve to earn salvation. Some give their life to a cause to prove their own worth. The Christian response should be to serve out of a response of overflowing gratitude for all Christ has done on our behalf. Unfortunately, we often louse that up and end up casting more shadow than light.

In The Spiritual Danger of Doing Good Greer shares his own journey of ways he’s ‘done good’ but from the wrong motivation. At one point he devoted his life to ministry but ended up giving ‘leftovers’ his wife and family. He had bought into a sort of Christian Karma which declared if ‘I do this for God, God will do (fill in the blank for me). He has used the wrong measuring stick in defining success and has compared himself to others. The lessons he’s learned along the way help us be aware of where our ministry might have slid into the danger zone.

Greer shares lots of stories of where ‘doing good’ can be dangerous for our souls. He isn’t trying to talk us out of doing good, but to examine our internal motivations. So he turns over the idea of ‘doing good’ and points to the places of possible danger. We’ve all heard the stories of the Christian leader who blows up and blows it. Greer gets us to examine our own hearts in action before our own life falls off the rails. The fact that he does it with humor and grace is an added bonus.

Much of the advice in this book is practical good advice like: have friends you are accountable to, listen to feedback, being authentic and humble, don’t take photos of nursing gorillas or tell a room full of ministry supporters that you welcome them with open legs (a language error, in case you were wondering). These should be obvious and basic. Unfortunately life in ministry can sometimes reflexively fall into the category of ‘doing important tasks’ without doing the hard work of self reflection which should accompany ministry. Greer’s book provides a good diagnostic tool for Christian ministers.

I enjoyed this book and give it four stars. It is a good read for active minded people who like to ‘get involved’ in ‘helping others.’ Greer’s recommendations will help us do that from a healthier place.

Thanks to Bethany House for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
… (altro)
 
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Jamichuk | 9 altre recensioni | May 22, 2017 |
Questa recensione è stata scritta per Recensori in anteprima di LibraryThing.
Peter Greer offer solid insight into the risks that come with investing in Christian ministries of outreach and care. The practical and economic risks of care for those in need has received attention in the last years, and Greer reminds us that the risks are not just for those for whom we care, but also in some cases for ourselves. That reminder is a healthy blessing if we'll hear it.
½
 
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PastorBob | 9 altre recensioni | Sep 12, 2016 |
Why do so many Christian organizations become secular within a generation or two? How does one build a focused ministry that doesn't change its core purpose? Peter Greer and Christ Horst provide some excellent answers in Mission Drift: The Unspoken Crisis Facing Leaders, Charities, and Churches. They have examined and analyzed various ministries, some that have stayed focused on their Gospel focused mission, and some that drifted away from that focus have become secular in focus, not spiritual.

The authors make the interesting observation that "It is often Christians who seem most likely to be the biggest critics of bold Christian distinctiveness". They quote the Christian Founder of Quaker Oats speaking of people "who are much interested in the loaves and fishes, but not at all in the faith." They bring up organizations that were Christian at first, but now only help with material needs alone. Greer and Horst also make the case that meeting material needs is not the most important thing, rather, giving out the Gospel is the most important. Helping with people's physical needs does not save them for eternity, it only gives them comfort temporally. Helping with a person's spiritual need of the Gospel helps them have a right focus here on earth whether or not they are comfortable, and has them looking for the Kingdom that will never end.

They warn that Mission Drift is inevitable unless it is actively fought against. "Never underestimate currents and winds - pay attention to them" is one of their warnings. Too many people think that they will be unaffected by physiological changes in society, moral trends and the like, and so don't consider them as threats. But sooner or later, the Christian ministry that is not anchored down with core principles, beliefs and practices will drift along with the stream of popular thought. Many organizations that were Christian at first became functionally secular/atheistic over time.

They also address the fear that if a ministry/organization doesn't compromise its core beliefs at any point, it might collapse. The book has the excellent statement, "…how much better to collapse in allegiance than to survive by compromising what matters most?"

I think that this is an excellent book and would recommend it to any Christian 'organization'.

There are things that I do not agree with, but the only one I find worth mentioning is that the authors seem too ecumenical as they seem to consider Catholicism to be a correct presentation of the Gospel, and an accurate 'version' of Christianity. But I think that it is only implied, not explicitly stated.

Many thanks to Bethany House Publishers for sending me a free review copy of this book(My review did not have to be favorable)!
… (altro)
 
Segnalato
SnickerdoodleSarah | 3 altre recensioni | Apr 13, 2016 |

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Statistiche

Opere
13
Utenti
612
Popolarità
#41,086
Voto
3.8
Recensioni
16
ISBN
27

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