 |  How to recognize and ride the winds of the spirit
Fall 2001
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Dr Jekyll & Pastor Hyde
Doug Anderson
October 1, 2001
"They're making me crazy," Peter said, "they" meaning, among others, the board of elders and a few prominent members. He described the elders as lazy and uncommitted, and the chairman as controlling and incompetent. Peter was very angry.
"If only they would listen to me, things would be better," he insisted.
Peter was middle-aged and a skilled minister. Gifted to lead, Peter's intelligence and creativity opened the door to many ministry opportunities. But soon, even the best ministry setting would turn sour. Peter was baffled by this pattern in his career. His own behavior at those times stumped him. He would suddenly become angry and controlling, and then just as quickly retreat into a subservient position. What brought him to me was the depression that settled in, and with it occasional thoughts of suicide.
When I first met Peter, I noted his intelligence immediately. He could talk about his concerns in great detail, but he couldn't connect his concerns with painful emotions. Mostly I saw and heard anger. Frequently his anger was greater than the situation might have called for.
"Why do people always argue with me?" he asked me. "Why can't they see things the way I see them?"
Peter's reactions also baffled the board and those who worked closely with him. On some occasions Peter spoke tersely and seemed to distance himself from the others. Sometimes he would conspicuously acquiesce to their expectations. This, too, had a distancing effect. Peter was unpredictable. He was hard to live with.
Peter was sabotaging himself, but he couldn't see it.
His story is not unusual. The issues may vary, but stories of ministers plagued by church conflicts are as common as Sundays. Over the past 15 years I have counseled dozens of ministers. ...
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