Tullian Tchividjian’s new book Jesus + Nothing = Everything releases today, and this is one you will want to check out. The book is born out of a time of intense pain and personal turmoil in the author’s pastoral ministry. In 2009, his growing church plant merged with one of the most famous evangelical churches in America—Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church. After being installed as pastor, however, the honeymoon was short lived. He writes:
With the merger and the leadership transition, a small but vocal group of long-time Coral Ridge members immediately began voicing opposition to practically any and every change we initiated or even considered at the church. Blogs were posted, notes and letters were circulated—some anonymously—with false accusations about me. Just three months after I arrived, a vigorous petition drive was started to get me removed, and it gained steam. Some people began lamenting the huge mistake they’d made in agreeing to the merger, and they grumbled that the whole thing had turned into a “hostile takeover.” Their tone was frequently heated and vicious. Battle lines were drawn, rumors raced, and the spirits of those who supported me sagged. There was a crescendo of misunderstandings, frustration, and pain.
I continued in my determination to bring about what we believed were needed changes at the church, but the virulence of the opposition to them was almost more than I could bear. I was undergoing the shelling of my life—and I was plenty ready to quit and escape elsewhere. I was informed of possible other job offers from around the country, and believe me, they were tempting. It would have been so easy just to walk away from the turmoil I was in and never look back (pp. 21-22).
This book is about how Tchividjian rediscovered the gospel in the midst of this crisis. Any pastor who has gone through turmoil in ministry will be helped by this book. I encourage you to watch the video above from the author and to read an excerpt from the book here. You can order the book here.
One Comment
herodotus
I’m always wary when I only hear one side of a story.