Family Systems and Congregational Life: A Map for Ministry

by R. Robert Creech

Experienced pastor and seminary teacher R. Robert Creech helps pastoral leaders increase their effectiveness by applying family systems theory to congregational life and ministry. Creech introduces readers to the basic concepts of Bowen Family Systems Theory, applies family theory to the work of ministry in church settings, and connects systems thinking to the everyday aspects of congregational ministry, such as preaching, pastoral care, leadership, spiritual formation, and interpreting biblical texts. Each chapter contains discussion questions, and there are five helpful appendixes with supplemental information about Bowen theory.

Genres: Psychology, Church, Counselling, Ecclesiology, Christian, Theology, Nonfiction

240 pages, Paperback

Published February 19, 2019

Reviews

[Jonathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Creech's look at the Bowen Family Systems Theory in relation to congregational life was excellent. I especially loved the examination of the Biblical figure's relationships under the light of the BFST. This was the first non-journal article I read for my thesis, and it was phenomenal.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this work as it got ‘down into the weeds’ of applying Family Systems thinking to pastoral ministry, but also got ‘up in the clouds’ as it applied the ‘science’ of BSFS to theology.

Creech is very careful in not overstating what Systems thinking is, and also not confusing the roles of ‘science’ and ‘theology. His considered approach opens up some interesting vistas for biblical reflection and pastoral engagement.

[Kate · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fun(ny) fact(s): This was one of the required books for my leadership class...not very fun or funny...but still a fact!

Favorite quote/image: "Pastoral care consists in thinking with people about their lives in the light of the gospel so that they are better able to connect with the ordinariness of life, particularly the experience of suffering, with the work of God in their lives." (pg. 79)

Honorable mention: "The pastor's task is relational: to bring the congregation to attention before God, into a listening posture before the biblical text, the Christian tradition, and the Holy Spirit...the relational dimension of preaching is both what gives it abiding power in the life of the church and what makes it a place of vulnerability in the life of the preacher." (pg. 65)

Why: I could appreciate the first half of the book, which applied Bowen Family Systems to congregational leadership, but what I really struggled with was the second half of the book, which tried to apply this psychological framework to biblical studies.

[Heidi Goehmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This text would be useful for any worker in the parish. I’d also recommend church leaders read this book together to understand the way the anxiety of a system interacts and effects their work and relationships together within the body of Christ. It also focuses on self differentiation as the solution, which is something we can controls as individuals rather than simply the work of trying to help the system unit change which takes lots and lots of time and we only have so much control over. You’ll pull it off your bookshelf again and again, especially for the first half. I’d like the author to write again and possibly go further into the spiritual understanding of the Body of Christ as an actual family and hear his insight on that a bit more.

[Kirsten · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s funny how enjoyable books for work can be! I appreciated quite a bit of this book, which explores how Bowen’s Family System Theory can be useful in pastoral ministry. I found the first half much more relevant (in fact I would have appreciated even greater discussion on its application to leading congregations). I wasn’t quite so taken with its use in hermeneutics and I much preferred the hard copy to the audio narration (which was at times a little irritating.) Otherwise a very useful book that I’m sure I’ll return to!

[Greer Rutt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this for a class and found it neat but missing a lot. It was an interesting look and integration of family systems, psychology, and pastoral care. But having read other psychologists and LPCs that have attempted and done the same, this book in comparison was not as thorough. I appreciated Dr. Creech's capability to explore how the church acts as a family AND took the approach of applying Family Systems Theory in the church. My issue was that certain aspects and complexities of family life and church experiences were VERY overlooked. Specifically looking at BFST and Church theology on forgiveness, I found this lacking in certain boundaries in forgiveness. Church hurt and leadership failings can be extremely traumatic for congregants, as is family relationship, especially when factors such as abuse, manipulation, imbalances of power, etc are involved (both in a family or a church). This book mentions the need for forgiveness and not to distance oneself from the members in order to rebuild oneself and relationships. However, the book never takes a solid stance on reconciliation and fails to mention the impact of abuse on any family or church system-- a reality extremely present in the church. Unfortunately, sometimes distance and dissent are necessary to healing and forgiveness. The book misses the mark on the complexity of this issue, which was highly disappointing. However, the basic premise was still helpful for beginning ministers. I just would caution to add other supplemental readings on top of this because otherwise training ministers will miss a significant issue.

[Stone Pinckney · Rating 5 out of 5]

without a map, people get lost

Every pastor ought to love their people well by reading this book. And begin the lifelong journey of growing their basic self as a servant driven by principles, and refusing to let a lack of awareness hamper them. Without emotional intelligence—leadership is limited at best and harming at worst.

People in ministry (regardless of the role) need to read* this book. For leaders it ought to be a requirement. To try and shepherd God’s people without understanding differentiation of self is a recipe for mediocrity.

Here’s the bottom line: your ability to lovingly guide and care for anxious people and situations in this anxiety-driven world we live in—is essential to caring for souls. The navigation of conflict and crises with sinners is the reality of ministry and the joy.

Even if your main priority is the reading of the word and prayer, people will remember how they felt when with you more than what you said.

And if you’d like some more teachings on Bowen Theory, check out his protégé’s book, Extraordinary Relationships, by Roberta Gilbert. I’ve recommended that book for years and was thrilled to see Creech’s fantastic merging of Scripture and Bowen to produce a Christ-centered roadmap to help churches grow together for the glory of God.

*Read it or listen to it. Where’s the Audible version? Maybe I can make it👀🙏🏾😂

[Jenny · Rating 2 out of 5]

Creech uses BFST as a metaphor for understanding congregations and a literary criticism approach to interpreting biblical narrative. It is a useful introduction to BFST without getting into the messy parts. As a lit crit approach it can be useful but should be taken into use along side other forms of lit crit, such as liberation, queer, and societal.

Creech is rather repetitive and his revelations serve as a metaphorical approach that a person can employ or not as it speaks to their way of reasoning. Has far as his prose and voice are concerned the writing is technical but lacks the tightness of a textbook. His style authoritative with some attempts appear casual and approachable.

[Porter Sprigg · Rating 4 out of 5]

The psychological analysis of congregational life was really helpful and I’m sure I will be able to put a lot of this into use in a ministry or family context some day.

Having said that, the biblical analysis part at the end seemed a bit shoddy and unhelpful. He admits that the theory speaks a completely different language than the biblical text but then tries to show their integration anyway. This makes for a bizarre letdown of an ending to an otherwise helpful and insightful book.

[Courtney Naka · Rating 4 out of 5]

I definitely found the first half of the book more helpful in practical application of BFST in the congregational setting. (The second half was interesting as well, but more focused on seeing BFST in scripture.) As my own congregation experiences families leaving, culture shifts, budget concerns, etc, it’s so helpful to have a framework to understand the anxieties of the congregation. Super helpful for anyone engaging in pastoral work or general leadership within the church.

[Ainsley Hartman · Rating 1 out of 5]

Honestly, I hated this book. It was poorly written, did not make a lick of sense, and integrated two models that do not work together at all. This was one of the most frustrating books I’ve read at sebts, and I don’t understand why a family systems counseling class had me read about congregational leadership, even if the book tries (and fails) to integrate the two.

[Nate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Approaching a church as a family system is creative and insightful. However, the latter section of the book, where Creech applies the theory to hermeneutics, feels like he is trying to squeeze a round peg into a square hole.

[Lisa Lewton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent resource for new clergy, applying systems theory to congregational life. He uses very concrete and universal illustrations and asks relatable questions at the end of each chapter.

[Laurel Kehl · Rating 4 out of 5]

First several chapters very helpful, especially "Leading in Chaos."

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

A clear and helpful application of Bowen Family Systems thinking to congregational life, with a good chunk of Willard's spiritual formation thrown in for good measure.

[Anna O’Connor · Rating 4 out of 5]

I realized I am a much less emotionally mature person than I liked to believe I was.

[Edward Bellis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book and ALL pastors need to read it

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

First half was good. Second half where author attempted to put Bowen Family Systems over biblical stories wasn't helpful to me but might be interesting to other people.

[Katelyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid introduction to Bowen Family Systems Theory (BFST) and its applicability to congregational life. I liked the earlier chapters explaining the BFST and its relevance to church and ministry. I disliked the later chapters attempting to observe BFST in the characters of Scripture (Abraham, David, Jesus, Paul). It seems a stretch to try to observe the characteristics of BFST in people and families of whom we really know very little. Scripture was not written for the purpose of critiquing Abraham's or David's dysfunctional families. I think the author overstretched by attempting to do so.

That said, it was a good introduction to the theory and I look forward to learning more about it.

[Logan Oviatt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Second source paradigm shifter

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was quite an interesting read! Prior to reading this book, I wasn't familiar with the idea of family systems theory. However as I read this book it became very clear and the way Robert Creech applies it to church life is both profound and practical. I think any church leader could benefit from reading and understanding this book!