The Pastor's Family: The Challenges of Family Life and Pastoral Responsibilities

For a taste of this book, read the following paragraph from the author's preface:"I am a male pastor, and I realize I have neglected my family because I failed to prioritize time with them and for them in my life as a minister. The Pastor's Family is the story of how I was compelled to face this neglect and do something about it."It is immediately clear that this is not a dispassionate examination of the family life of ministers; it is the story and reflections of one minister told with deep-searching honesty. Langford does not claim to be perfect or know everything, but he has learned from many of his mistakes.In addition, Langford's wife and two children tell the stories of their experience in their own words. Insights from psychology and scripture are also incorporated into the The Pastor's Family.The following chapter headings give a sense of the book's scope:1. "Where Is Dad?" "Where Is My Husband?"2. The Experiences of Being a Pastor's Wife3. Who is Going to Make the Coffee?4. My PK's: Their Stories5. The Bible, Nature, Human, and Church History: Warnings and Mandates for Family Nurture6. Treasures in Family Discontent7. The Pastor and Codependency: Coming to Terms with the Dark Side of the Call to Ministry8. Setting Boundaries and Learning to Say "No": Benchmarks for Healthy Relationships Between the Pastor, His Family, and the Congregation9. The Minister's Family Life: A Laboratory of Valuable Experience10. Spiritual Formation: Giving and Receiving Prayer11. Setbacks, Heartbreaks, and New OpportunitiesWithin each chapter, you will find a warts-and-all portrait of the family's experience and what the author has learned over time. The result is sometimes depressing, sometimes uplifting, but always enlightening.Langford has been a nursing home social worker, public school teacher, and pastor/church planter (Southern Baptist and later American Baptist). Though his theological perspective is fairly different from my own, I am still giving the book five stars because it is simply outstanding.One final note...the author does not attempt to generalize from his experience to families other than a male minister with a female spouse. However, I suspect that female ministers, same-sex partners, and co-minister partners would find much useful in the book as well.