1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Firestorm: Preventing and Overcoming Church Conflicts, 2007-01-09
A tremendous source of insight, wisdom and knowledge to help anyone who has gone through a church split of any kind. This book helped the healing process begin and come to completeness. Praise God!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Very Helpful, 2006-11-10
If your church is going through fighting and division, this book will definately help you. First it describes the stages of the "firestorm" and then how to address the issues to bring the church through the destructive battle and begin the healing. Dr. Susek has had a lot of experience leading churches through the process, we even contacted him and he is consulting with us.
9 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
Simply Excellent!, 2003-09-05
Susek in this volume provides a simply excellent treatment of the vicious, destructive nature of church conflict. In the first part of his work he gives the account of an actual church, describing how the sparks of conflict were scattered, the flames were fanned, and the fierce firestorm was unleashed. While Susek's example is extreme for many churches struggling with lesser issues, the escalation of conflict is basically the same regardless of the scale.In the second part of his book Susek addresses the various causes of a church firestorm. The third portion offers practical instruction on getting a firestorm under control. The fourth and final section gives suggestions on binding the wounds of the various parties who have been burned by the conflict.
I recommend this title to all pastors. For most of us, it is not a matter of IF we encounter a firestorm in our ministry, but WHEN we will experience one. I also see this book as being very helpful for church leaders who are dealing with conflict situations, regardless of their severity. Susek's work here is well-worth the price, offering healing and hopes for the conflict-scorched congregation.
19 of 35 people found the following review helpful:
this book is complete garbage, 2003-07-30
Susek takes his own opinions, decorates them with scripture, and passes them off as biblical. He makes poor use of his own examples. He presents churches as being places where the people in the pews can't and shouldn't be trusted, and where pastors are properly suspicious of churchgoers. He measures success in terms of programs, budgets, and attendance, rather than spiritual growth and development.
A good way of reading this book is to look at how he presents aggregates of people: large numbers of people are almost always passive and obedient, and represented positively; smaller groups of people are sometimes good and sometimes bad, depending on whether they agree with the pastor. Individuals are almost always by turns rebellious, disagreeable, and evil.
Despite his title, he never talks about preventing church conflicts. He's like a pathologist; he's only comfortable with patients who are dead and dying.
His views, analysis, and solutions are very pastor-centric: he spends three or four chapters talking about how to treat the pastor's wounds during a church conflict and only one on how to treat the people.
Finally, Susek never asks the right questions: what is a church, and what should it be? That's the only right place to start looking at church conflict, and the only way to begin responding to conflict. Because Susek doesn't do this his analysis is sloppy, ad hoc, wrongheaded, and ultimately unfocused.
A much better view is presented in Jim van Yperen's book Making Peace: a Guide to Overcoming Church Conflict. van Yperen at least asks the right questions.
9 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
Help with the Destructive Forces of Out-of-Control Conflict, 2002-02-15
The striking title evokes a powerful image of the destructive forces at work when churches are overcome by conflict. Susek, who has first hand experience of the lasting effects of church controversy, traces the stages of conflict and provides practical suggestions for dealing with each phase. The book also includes a detailed plan of action. Susek incorporates a dimension that is missing from many materials on church conflict, that of the spiritual forces of evil that are often at work. The book begins by explaining the six phases of a firestorm and how to recognize the symptoms. Next it presents four pillars of strength that are crucial for healthy churches to have spiritual power, and helps church leaders evaluate themselves in light of those strengths. Special attention is given to how church leaders' family and psycho-social needs may be affecting them too deeply, either helping to create conflicts or hindering effective resolution. The book also helps leaders to assess the presence of a number of other factors that contribute to conflict, such as cultural resistance to authority, rapid church growth, etc. Susek also includes very helpful sections on church discipline, bold spiritual leadership, the use of consultants, care for badly burned church leaders and their families, and the role of interim ministers.