Depression: the Pastor's Vocational Hazard

Coping with Depression in the Ministry and Other Helping Professions by Archibald Hart, Word, $10.95

Reviewed by Timothy K. Jones, co-pastor, Christ Our Peace Church of the Brethren, The Woodlands, Texas

A pastor I know once fell into a severe depression. He managed to drag himself out of bed most mornings, but he dodged parishioners' calls, took lots of naps, and coped by "unhooking" himself from contact with others. Only with time did his inward crisis eventually resolve.

Not every minister will face it in quite so stark a form, but Arch Hart believes depression has become the pastor's vocational hazard. Coping with Depression in the Ministry and Other Helping Professions details Hart's insights into mastering this troublesome emotion, which he calls the "dominant mood of our age." Years of counseling pastors and teaching at Fuller Seminary's School of Psychology enable Hart to open new doors of understanding. He offers a vivid exploration of depression's ...