I read Tom in the Box News Network occasionally when I need a good laugh, which is often when you're in church work. This satire of a church that has a family connection at it's hub reminds me of a real church in the Midwest that a friend of mine pastored for a little while several years ago. When he came back from his candidating trip and told us about it, we all expressed concerned. Our concerns were well founded. He has since moved on, with the wounds to prove that the church was seriously dysfunctional.

I like the way Keith Drury turned the tables on a church search committee. I've thought often of searching for a Christian venture capitalist to fund a web site like Angie's List, where pastors who have been abused by dysfunctional churches could warn other pastors. Lloyd Rediger has written a book (Clergy Killers) about the phenomena. It was recommended by a friend in my doctoral cohort after I described some leadership dysfunction. After I read it I found another book (The Wounded Minister) that speaks to the same phenomena. It turns out that as I speak with other pastors this is an all too common phenomena.

Now all I need is a Christian venture capitalist........