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When Narcissism Comes to Church: Healing Your Community From Emotional and Spiritual Abuse Spiral-Bound | March 17, 2020

Chuck DeGroat, Richard J. Mouw (Foreword by)

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Chuck DeGroat has been counseling pastors with narcissistic personality disorder and those wounded by narcissistic leaders for over twenty years. Offering compassion and hope for both narcissists themselves and those affected by its destructive power, DeGroat imparts wise counsel for churches looking to heal from its systemic effects.

Christian Book Award® program
Outreach Resource of the Year

Why does narcissism seem to thrive in our churches?

We've seen the news stories. Maybe we ourselves have been hurt by a narcissistic church leader. But what is narcissism, really? And how does it infiltrate the church?

Chuck DeGroat has been counseling pastors with narcissistic personality disorder, as well as those wounded by narcissistic leaders and systems, for over twenty years. He knows firsthand the devastation narcissism leaves in its wake and how insidious and painful it is. In When Narcissism Comes to Church, DeGroat takes a close look at narcissism, not only in ministry leaders but also in church systems. He offers compassion and hope for those affected by its destructive power and imparts wise counsel for churches looking to heal from its systemic effects.

DeGroat also offers hope for narcissists themselves—not by any shortcut, but by the long, slow road of genuine recovery through repentance and trust in the gospel of Jesus.

Publisher: InterVarsity Press
Original Binding: Hardcover
Pages: 200 pages
ISBN-10: 0830841598
Item Weight: 0.8 lbs
Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.9 x 8.5 inches

"For far too long the evangelical church in America has nurtured and supported narcissism in our leadership. The addiction to platforms, influence, new ideas, as well as unbiblical definitions of leadership, authority, and power has sustained a structure that dehumanizes our leaders and exploits God's people. When Narcissism Comes to Church is an important book in a season when we must ask deeper questions of the very structure, metrics, motivations, and means to the work we set out to do in the name of Christ. Dr. DeGroat does not merely point a finger at narcissistic leaders, but asks us to consider these individuals in our church as fruit of a more fundamental problem in the American church. May we have ears to hear, humility to repent, and courage to respond."

-Dennae Pierre, director, City to City North America, Surge Network leadership team

Chuck DeGroat (LPC, PhD) is professor of pastoral care and Christian spirituality at Western Theological Seminary in Holland, Michigan, and senior fellow at Newbigin House of Studies in San Francisco. He served as a pastor at churches in Orlando and San Francisco and founded two church-based counseling centers. He is a licensed therapist, spiritual director, and the author of Toughest People to Love and Wholeheartedness.