LIBERTY UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF DIVINITY
The Emotionally Healthy Church: Reflection Paper
Submitted to Dr. Gregory Faulls,
in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the completion of
EVAN 500-D01
Spiritual Factors of Growing Churches
by
Anita L. Chisolm
Contents
Introduction .....................................................................................................................................1
Reflection........................................................................................................................................1
Principles 1-4 ......................................................................................................................2
Principles 4-7.......................................................................................................................2
Application and Implementation..................................................................................................2
Personal Ministry.................................................................................................................3
Corporate Ministry...............................................................................................................3
Conclusion ......................................................................................................................................3
2
Scazzero, Peter. The Emotionally Healthy Church. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2015. 235 pp.
Introduction
It is important to be spiritually healthy, but it is also important to be emotionally healthy.
We must grow emotionally and spiritually before we can help others grow. Many are supposedly
“spiritually mature” but remain infants, children or teenagers emotionally. 1 As Christians we
receive extensive training in areas such as prayer and Bible study, however we are not being
equipped in how to dig beneath the surface of our issues to find out how our past influences what
is happening to us now. The Emotionally Healthy Church addresses what spiritual maturity
looks like as it relates to emotional health. It explores how embracing the truth about the
emotional parts of oneself reveals a greater understanding of God, Scripture, the nature of
Christian maturity and the role of the church.
Reflection
This book will cause you to think about how spiritually mature you are, as well, as ones’
emotional maturity. The author of the book was very vulnerable and passionate about Christians
growing up emotionally. He placed great emphasis on how as a leader there must be a balance in
your personal life and as a church leader. One can’t put all their time and efforts into building up
a church and neglect their home life, because it could cause both to fall apart. He also provided
several biblical, personal and professional examples of individuals who struggle in maintaining
the balance. The author asks us to take inventory of our lives by completing a survey that results
in seven principles for emotional maturity.
1 Peter Scazzero, The Emotionally Healthy Church (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2015) 18.
1
Principles 1-4
Looking beneath the surface is taking a deep look inside of yourself to determine what is
at the heart of your emotional issues. People are like icebergs we have many deep layers below
the surface. We must allow the truth of our pain to liberate us and bring us closer to God. The
next principle is breaking the power of our past, where we identify how our family, past
relationships and experiences shape who we are today. Then there is live in the brokenness and
vulnerability, which challenges us in profound ways to let go of what people think and to
surrender to God’s love and mercy.2 Receiving the gift of limits is understanding the limits God
has given you. The author uses a very good analogy of a man on a bridge on his way to his
destiny, getting sidetracked by someone in need of help.
Principles 5-7
Emotionally healthy churches understand the importance of embracing grief and loss.
The ability to embrace our losses and grief will equip us to love others as Jesus did.3 We must
allow our pain to help us grow. Making incarnation your model for loving well, recognizing that
the mark of spiritual maturity is love. We are to follow the model of Jesus and love God,
ourselves and others. The final principle is slow down to lead with integrity, this entails having
integrity with God, yourself, in your marriage, and in leadership. Begin your journey by
surrendering to God and allowing him to take control of every aspect of your life.
Application and Implementation
2 Peter Scazzero, The Emotionally Healthy Church (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2015) 135.
3 Ibid, 179.
2
Emotionally Healthy Church can cause a leader to look deeply into their personal life
and question their effectiveness as a leader. Start by completing the emotional inventory survey
the author provided in the book to determine their level of emotional maturity. Review the
results and determine where they need improvement. One must pray to find out how to proceed
in growing emotionally from one level to the next.
Personal Ministry
The survey revealed that this student is an emotional young adult, which means one will
have to work harder to become an adult to be a more effective leader. One must dig beneath the
surface to destroy the issues that are preventing progression. This will be accomplished by
overcoming issues like forgiveness and finding balance between home, church and school.
Corporate Ministry
An effective leader should be an emotionally healthy leader. The author placed great
emphasis on developing a balanced between ones’ personal life and church. The first thing
would be to evaluate your life and how you are relating to your home and church. Discussing
unresolved issues with the significant other and devising a plan on how to find a balance and
routine that will work for them both. God wants us to pursue our purpose and at the same time
have a balanced life.
Conclusion
This book leaves you with a lot to think about concerning your emotional health. It is not
enough to grow spiritually, but Christians must grow emotionally. If you are emotionally healthy
you can be an effective leader and help others to grow. In the process one will develop sound
principles for developing spiritually sound and emotionally sound people. As a result, they will
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