This book focuses on problems in parishes—from stewardship to worship to strategic planning—and then examines new ideas and solutions. The approach is positive and practical; the tone is conversational and engaging.

Philip Wiehe is a church consultant, specializing in helping parishes with clergy searches, long-range planning, mission statements, crisis management, and vestries. He is an Episcopal priest who lives in Virginia.

Linda McFadden, who lives in Virginia, is a United Church of Christ pastor who specializes in communications.

“Philip and Linda are stellar guides and mentors with insight into the possibilities of new life for your congregation. They open up hidden realities—things overlooked because they're just beneath the surface. Here you'll find practical tools for bringing newness out of the plain old stuff you find in every religious community. There's hope in this book for ordinary people.” —Loren B. Meade, church consultant and author of many books addressing congregational development, including The Once and Future Church and Transforming Congregations for the Future

“Philip Wiehe has based his thoughts on the essentials of church life and witness on some of the most significant words of the Gospel. There is no greater challenge for the church in our generation than 'to make all things new' through the power of the Spirit—and in so doing to be renewed itself. How Philip applies this process to life in the United States must equally apply to all the Christian world today.” —Robin Eames, Archbishop of the Church of Ireland

"An Episcopal priest and his wife, a United Church of Christ pastor, team up to address challenges churches face. Chances are, you'll recognize your church in at least one of the examples cited."— The Living Church

Contact: Bill Falvey, 917-373-8510, wfalvey@cpg.org
Church Publishing, 445 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10016

New Book Asks, “What Flavor of Dysfunctional Church Are You?” –Offers Solid Strategies for Avoiding “More Dumb Things Churches Do”

(New York) – “What Flavor of Dysfunctional Church Are You?” asks this new spring publication from Morehouse Publishing:

More Dumb Things Churches Do and New Strategies for Avoiding Them, by Philip Wiehe and Linda McFadden

ISBN: 978-0-8192-2258-9  $16.00  Paper  160 Pgs.  Morehouse  On Sale Now

** Review copies, interviews, and excerpts available on request. **

Pick one or more from the list that follows!

Following on the success of the original Ten Dumb Things Churches Do and How to Avoid Them, author Philip Wiehe returns - this time aided by co-author Linda McFadden - with a positive and practical new guidebook for clergy and church leaders.  With 50 years’ combined experience, the authors have a firm grip and focus on common congregational challenges, plus the insight and strategies to address these challenges head-on. Their writing is conversational, at times even humorous, but it also provides a solid framework for church leadership teams and individuals to recognize problems and adopt unique new solutions. In addition to the strategies for congregational renewal and engagement with change, the book also provides a humorous, but seriously focused diagnostic quiz.

So what kind of dysfunctional church do YOU attend?  Pick one or more from the list and see the solutions, excerpted from More Dumb Things Churches Do and New Strategies for Avoiding Them, by Philip Wiehe and Linda McFadden:

“Pastor-is-the-Star” Church - Jesus Christ is not available to run our parishes, so if you think you are, or think your pastor is Jesus, think again.

Stuck Church – Never changes. Its motto is, “We owe it to previous generations of church members to, uh, honor the previous generations.”

Delusional Church –Any clergyperson who gets caught up between the congregation’s fantasy about itself and the reality of limited resources is headed for burnout!

Addictive Church - The coffee hour may be genial, but the real juice is in the hushed conversations in the parking lot and lively email exchanges.

Pitiful Church - Sunday School superintendent begins her recruiting pitch to teachers by saying, “You probably don’t want to do this and don’t have time anyway . . . “

Busy Church – This church engages in ministry simply by multiplying its activities: lots of energy, but it isn’t necessarily going anywhere.

“We-Want-to-Grow” Church - What does this congregation really want, and more to the point, why do they want it?  Example: Older members claim to want more youth but don’t want to run the youth program and are reluctant to pay somebody else to do it.

Wasteful Church - It is easy to talk the talk of Creation Theology, but when it comes to walking the walk in our wasteful consumer society, this church either doesn’t know how to be environmentally responsible or is just lazy.

Denominational Church – Relying exclusively on denominational loyalty to fill the membership rolls has no future - partly the result of the calcification of denominations and partly an evolution of the Body of Christ as a social institution.

Conflicted Church - A congregation that can get into a snit about most anything. Too much of the time the debate is not so much about an issue as about the merits of the people engaged in the debate.

Poor Church – This church may not in fact be poor at all, but is always struggling to generate enough money to meet even a minimal budget, always looking for corners to cut: a volunteer to run the website, a member of the church to be the parish secretary or organist for little or no pay, and, worst of all, deferred maintenance on the church buildings. In our experience churches that really are poor, even though the members are pledging the best they can, are the ones that are the best stewards of what they have as well as the most generous with their outreach. The story of the Widow’s Mite applies to churches. Poverty is not about the bank account but about the human heart.

Most of these dysfunctions are covered in detail in More Dumb Things Churches Do and New Strategies for Avoiding Them, but meanwhile, here are a few things to keep in mind:
• Don’t be afraid. God is in this enterprise with you.
• Know who you are and know what God has in mind for you.
• Do what you must do to be comfortable with change—or become a hermit.
• Recognize and work with the resources God has given you—all of them.

Headquartered in New York City, Church Publishing Incorporated is the official publisher of worship materials for the Episcopal Church in the U.S., and publishes a variety of trade books through its Seabury, Church Publishing, and Morehouse Publishing imprints.

Above excerpt may be used with permission of the publisher with book credit line.

Tear sheets and/or advance notice of publication is encouraged and appreciated.