Once every year my wife and I do a Sopranos marathon video rental. I know, I know, graphic violence, etc, etc. etc....and pastor's shouldn't watch stuff like that. But, the show is well written and extremely well acted.
What is so interesting to me about The Sapranos is watching Tony's journey to be emotionally healthy as a leader. Tony Soprano is confronted with the fact that if he doesn't get help for the negative emotional issues in his life, he might lose his marriage, physically die, or at the very least, the organization he leads will ultimately fall apart. It has been said, "As goes the leader, so goes the organization."
What might Mr. Tony Soprano say to Mr. church leader? Well he might say something like this, "Get your emotional *!&@*@!! together before you hurt the family business" (Well, what did you expect-Ward Cleaver).
Many pastors have hurt the "family business" (the church) due to the neglect of engaging their emotional unhealthy issues. Many pastoral leaders deny that anything unhealthy might even exist at all. In return, those kind of pastors end up attracting emotionally unhealthy congregations in the long run and end up hurting the family business.
Peter Scazzero, in his book,The Emotionally Healthy Church, says, "We cannot grow an emotionally healthy church if we ourselves are not addressing issues beneath the surface of our lives." As goes the leader, so goes the church.
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