Let Us Prey: The Plague of Narcissist Pastors and What We Can Do About It

by R. Glenn Ball; Darrell Puls

Publisher:

Wipf and Stock

, 2017

Overview

Jesus warned of wolves carefully disguised as shepherds who would come into the local church as pastors. It is the perfect disguise from which to devour the flock one lamb at a time. The authors were the first to study this phenomenon in North America and discover how serious the problem is. What they uncovered is shocking. The enemy has infiltrated the North American church. In this study of a large Canadian denomination, just under one in three pastors met the diagnostic criteria of Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD). This is one of the most destructive and least treatable of all mental disorders, but is often well hidden behind layers of “sacred” deception. Some are charismatic while others are quiet and even awkward, but they share the same needs for power, control, praise, and public recognition. They are also rigid, unbending, never wrong, demanding, and full of hidden rage, leaving the people working for them in demoralized fear. They see you as inferior and God as a rival, while the worst see themselves as God. If they see you as a threat, they will do everything possible to destroy you spiritually and emotionally. Is your pastor one of them?

Key Features

• Addresses the dangers of predatory narcissism in churches
• Provides a guide for evaluating and screening pastoral cantidates
• Examines the symptoms of toxic narcissism and the criteria used for diagnosis

Contents

• Into Darkness
• What is Narcissistic Personality Disorder?
• The Work and Habits of the Narcissist Pastor
• Stories
• The Narcissist as Leader
• There Be Dragons Here—The Study
• The Spiritual Life of the Narcissist Pastor
• The Narcissistic Church
• Healing the People
• Healing the Church
• Prevention
• Now What

Praise for the Print Edition

Armed with research data and real-life examples, Puls and Ball provide an absorbing and alarming analysis of Christian clergy who suffer from Narcissistic Personality Disorder, describing the toll these ‘wolves in sheep’s clothing’ wreak upon their congregations and co-workers. A must-read for clergy and those who supervise and support them.

—Kevin Livingston, Associate Professor of Pastoral Ministry, Tyndale Seminary, Toronto

Ball and Puls do an amazing job of bringing a sensitive issue to the light. Filled with powerful stories, up-to-date research, and godly counsel, Let Us Prey is a great resource that brings wisdom, guidance, and healing to Christian leaders and church communities.

—Tim Clinton, President, American Association of Christian Counselors

Let Us Prey contains ground-breaking research regarding the plague of narcissism in the church. It also provides practical direction for the diagnosis, intervention, and mitigation of narcissism in our pastorate and our congregations. A must-read.

—Michael Patterson, PhD, LMHC, NCC, BCPCC, Chair, Department of Behavioral Science, Corban University

Product Details

• Title: Let Us Prey: The Plague of Narcissist Pastors and What We Can Do About It
• Authors: R. Glenn Ball and Darrell Puls
• Publisher: Wipf & Stock
• Pages: 228
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Topic: Leadership

About the Authors

Darrell Puls is a professional conflict interventionist with forty years of experience, and founder of Peacebridge Ministries, a Christian nonprofit that works directly with faith communities experiencing internal conflict. He is the author of The Road Home: A Guided Journey to Church Forgiveness and Reconciliation (2013)

R. Glenn Ball is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church in Canada, where he has served for more than thirty years in parish ministry and as a specialist working with distressed churches.

Sample Pages from Let Us Prey: The Plague of Narcissist Pastors and What We Can Do About It