Healthy Congregations: A Systems Approach

by Peter L. Steinke

In this sequel to How Your Church Family Works, Peter Steinke takes readers into a deeper exploration of the congregation as an emotional system. He outlines the factors that put congregations at risk for anxiety and conflict. Learn ten principles of health, how congregations can adopt new ways of dealing with stress and anxiety, as well as how spiritually and emotionally healthy leaders influence the emotional system. Featuring a new preface and a fresh redesign, this book is a classic work by one of the most respected names in congregational consulting.

Genres: Leadership, Nonfiction, Church, Spirituality, Christian, Religion

144 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 1995

Reviews

[Derek Klumpenhouwer · Rating 1 out of 5]

This text may be one of the worst ministry texts I have ever read. Overall, the text struggles to bring a useful approach to congregational studies because Steinke is far to committed to his metaphor of congregations being like the human body and its health. Steinke spends an extremely large portion of the text drawing out his metaphor and explaining numerous components to human health. The fruit of the metaphor does not outweigh the cost, as Steinke wastes much of the readers time when he could have made his point in a very short text. If Stienke wouldn't use this metaphor, he could have turned this 116 page text into a 10 page article. Not worth the readers time.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very Thoughtful Resource

Useful information on many aspects of group dynamics and grounded in the reality of creation. Anchoring insights in the biological nature of the human body and how it parallels group dynamics.

[Steve Watson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A follow-up to the very useful How Your Church Family Works, Steinke looks at health. Taking a systems approach to organizations that reminds me of my chiropractor's approach to physical health, Steinke believes the job of the body isn't to avoid sickness (impossible) but to maintain a system of health that can handle it. By analogy, a church (or any organization) can't avoid change, struggle, controversy, growing pains, sorrow, death, scandal, etc., etc. but can be as healthy as possible to have a healthy immune system to handle all this.

[Starla Gooch · Rating 3 out of 5]

The content of this book is fine but not nearly as strong as Steinke’s book “How Your 21st Century Church Family Works.” The writing of this one is jumbled and sometimes confusing, as if someone with ADHD wrote it and kept jumping around to different thoughts without clear segues or transitions. It’s a quick read and some key ideas come through, but his other book is immensely better and the one I would recommend to others.

[Ellen · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF. After finishing How Your Church Family Works by the same author, this was a serious let-down. Where the former was insightful, this one was so muddled by torturing metaphors that the connection between the metaphor and the literal - or what advice to get out of the metaphor - was consistently lost. The chapters did have interesting workshop questions to consider, at least.

[Bledar · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book gives a lot information about systems that is clouded with biology. If you can read beyond that, chapters 1-3, 5 and 8 are the center of the book. If leaders think systems and do not allow unhealthy viruses go unchecked, you got the bulk of the book.

[Erin Grasse · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a pretty easy read with lots of good examples to illustrate the main points! I did feel that he stretched the biological/theological metaphor a bit too far at times, however, and the quotes he included at the beginning of each chapter were almost entirely attributed to men.

[Darceylaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just re-read this for the 3rd time. A great intro to systems theory in congregations for clergy and lay-leaders.

[Tim Littleford · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book for reading as a leadership team looking at renewal conversations.

[Mary Beth Hagan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Helpful metaphors of sickness, disease, immunity, and health to the organization of church. Helpful discussion points to self-analyze your church.

[Kit · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is 'homework' for us as church officers. I'm annoyed at the writer and his publisher, or maybe I just want to know who Steinke's agent is -- this is not a book, it's a short article padded with quotations (from Henry Kissinger and M. Scott Peck, mind you), diagrams, and scattershot examples.

Basic premise: healthy congregations are healthy bodies: holistic. "Mood can affect the body." "Attitude counts." Uh, yeah.

He throws in random bits of scripture without exploring them, and I HATE it when people do that -- as though just quoting from the Bible means your point is a good one. One bit of Scripture I haven't seen him use yet and am guessing he won't touch here is the "if your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out -- if your hand causes you to sin, chop it off" bit (I'm paraphrasing, but I think both Matthew and Mark use it).

How's that for "stewarding the whole" and nurturing "loops," eh?

[Cindy Breeding · Rating 2 out of 5]

For church lay leaders, this short book is constructive and clear. What I like: Peter L. Steinke insists that conflicts have to happen in congregations because they are emotional systems, and that how we respond to them can actually make our churches healthier. Also, the book is pitched as a "communal" read. So an entire board or church committee can read it and do the exercises together. Finally, it doesn't matter that Steinke is a Lutheran. This book can be used by any congregation - Jewish, Christian, Muslim and on down the list. What I don't like: I think the author should have included exercises on dealing with triangles - when conflict becomes trapped by three people or threee groups.

[Amos Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Peter Steinke is the foremost interpreter of the work of Rabbi Edwin Friedman. Steinke makes Friedman's brilliant insights into family systems approachable. Whereas Friedman offers depth, Steinke offers clarity. Steinke continues to make family systems an accessible and powerful tool for Congregational transformation. The principles of family systems, popularized by Steinke, have helped me understand group dynamics in the churches I have served better than any other approach. Highly recommended! -Amos Smith (author of Healing The Divide)

[Tracy Blanchard · Rating 2 out of 5]

I finished this book and wondered what I'd just read. It could have just been an essay as far as the amount of actual informative content it seemed to have. But what bothered me most is Steinke's use of the disease metaphor -- that just doesn't feel like a very generous metaphor to use when discussing conflict in congregations. Nor did I appreciate the tone/language Mr. Steinke used at times when discussing congregants.

[Alan Brehm · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got more out of this one than Steinke's first book, mainly because he gives more examples. It seems that's the best way to learn about systems thinking as applied to congregational leadership. I have no doubt that Steinke is an excellent consultant and counselor, but I must confess I found reading this book about as bland as the last one. Nevertheless, it does articulate some very essential and helpful concepts.

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

This has some of the same stories and advice as "Leading Congregations in Anxious Times" but it has exercises at the end of each chapter. I read it because we're having conflict at my church right now and I'm a board member. It would be a good book to read when there isn't any major conflict because it would be good preparation for the conflict.

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

READ DEC 2010

Nice application of systems theory to congregations. A compact resource (just @ 100 pages), but packed with insight on the multifaceted interconnections that exist in any organization comprised of people trying to pursue a common goal together.

[Nancy Graham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent guideline for leading an organization with health.

[Bernard Norcott-mahany · Rating 3 out of 5]

Steinke presents his material clearly. I did find myself wishing for a little more razzamatazz.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

someone needs to tell the author that cancer isn't a virus.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very practical and helpful in working with people in general.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Basically an extended metaphor or the congregation as living organism. Some good insights, though not terribly in depth. Includes discussion questions.

[April]

suggested in Human Sexuality (J '10)

[Brandon Morrow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Invcredible

Many systems theory books use poor theoretical models, but "Healthy Congregations," seems intent on the pragmatism of leadership and shepherding. Highly recommended.

[Lyndon · Rating 2 out of 5]

A pretty fair summary of a systems approach to congregational dysfunction. A bit dry, academic, but still a good intro to this wholistic perspective, and applicable to any group, family, or organizational system. If you're not familiar with the interplay of group dynamics, it's a topic worthy of study.