Rediger, G Lloyd. Clergy killers: guidance for pastors and congregations under attack. Louisville, Ky: Logos; Westminster/John Knox Press, 1997

Nevile, Donald C.

English

Wilfrid Laurier University

ConsensusVolume 25Issue 1 Contextual Perspectives in Pastoral Care andCounsellingArticle 285-1-1999Clergy killers: guidance for pastors andcongregations under attackDonald C. NevileFollow this and additional works at: http://scholars.wlu.ca/consensusThis Book Reviews is brought to you for free and open access by Scholars Commons @ Laurier. It has been accepted for inclusion in Consensus by anauthorized editor of Scholars Commons @ Laurier. For more information, please contact scholarscommons@wlu.ca.Recommended CitationNevile, Donald C. (1999) "Clergy killers: guidance for pastors and congregations under attack," Consensus: Vol. 25 : Iss. 1 , Article 28.Available at: http://scholars.wlu.ca/consensus/vol25/iss1/28146 ConsensusEucharist among Romans, largely because of the shortage of priests. Likemost Roman Catholic scholars, he does not recognize that there is a solutionto this, which lies very simply in the ordination of married men and, heavenforbid, women! But that is another issue altogether.Is this book necessary? For Roman Catholics, perhaps so. ForProtestants, it provides an interesting window upon recent developmentsand attitudes among our Roman brothers and sisters. It is a call to leavebehind routine and obligation in Eucharist and seek the depth and gracewhich is there. In this sense, we may all benefit.Don NevileHighwood Lutheran ChurchCalgary, AlbertaClergy Killers: Guidance for Pastors and Congregations CinderAttackG. Lloyd RedigerLouisville: Westminster/John Knox Press, 1997200 pages, $17.50 PaperbackWith the title of this book, Rediger names a demon which afflicts mostpastors at some time in their professional careers: the person who,consciously or unconsciously, makes it their goal to undermine and destroythe pastor’s ministry in that place. Clergy killers are “...persons whointentionally target pastors for serious injury or destruction” (9). They comein all shapes and forms, but invariably are characterized by the four D’s:destructive, determined, deceitful, and demonic.Every pastor must deal with conflict at some time in his or her ministry.Do all these involve clergy killers? Mo, says Rediger. Conflict is a normal andoften constructive part of everyday ministry. In contrast, the Clergy Killer isa discrete pathological syndrome, which goes beyond normal ministerialconflict or the “attitudinally challenged” person.Rediger carefully distinguishes between normal conflict and “killer”conflict, and provides helpful information to help the clergy professional tellwhich is which. He uses a “case study” method similar to that pioneered byLyle Schaller in his many books. Hypothetical situations are presented, inwhich clergy are depicted in conflict with various types of “killers”. Thebalance of his book is enhanced by the inclusion of a chapter about the otherside of the coin—“killer clergy”. Rediger recognizes that the shoe can also beBook Reviews 147on the other foot.Of the many books and articles written about conflict in the church, thisis the first one actually to “name the demon” and provide realistic spiritualcounsel about how to approach this very serious problem. Rediger calls fora recognition that persons with severe mental disorders will often gravitate tothe church. He names this as spiritual evil, and urges those who are victimsto struggle against it as such. Loving the perpetrator, he says, will simply notwork, nor will they just go away if ignored. His very useful chapter onmanaging clergy killers concludes with the ultimate solution: to isolate thesekillers and expel them from the congregation before they destroy it and itsminister!There is an excellent chapter on “Pastoral Fitness” which would do us allgood to read. He draws attention to physical, emotional, and spiritualaspects of fitness, all of which go together to make a strong, healthyprofessional personality. In addition, he has an interesting section onexorcism, in which he draws our attention to the fact that the church was“...born in the universal struggle between good and evil, and that thisstruggle is incarnated in our midst, whether we recognize it or not” (94). Heis not interested in traditional ritual exorcism, but rather suggests an“intervention” model of exorcism, similar to the method used in cases ofsevere addiction.His case studies often feel like “deja-vu”. The solutions offered are notjust personal, but always contextual and social, and involve assessingcongregational weaknesses and dysfunctions which have allowed the“killers” to operate freely. Unfortunately, almost all his case studies illustrateunsuccessful outcomes. It seems that there may be no successful way todeal with clergy killers. Furthermore, his most practical suggestions areultimately /7o^about dealing with the problems of the killers, but rather aboutprotecting and supporting the attacked clergy.Rediger comes from a pietist, low-church tradition, and he continuallydenigrates the power and impact of ritual as well. He identifies prayer SiS amost powerful spiritual resource in dealing with killers, but then goes on tosay, “Public prayers often seem like a performance—perhaps helpful, but stillonly a performance” (178). Too bad! As Lutherans, from a liturgicaltradition, it would have been helpful to hear how ritual and liturgy might behelpful!This book may confirm your worst fears about the public ministry. Thetruths Rediger speaks will both support us (“the tribe that kills its shamanloses its soul”, p. 2) and call us into reality (“pastoral ministry is no longer safeplace for weak or incompetent pastors”, p. 3).Don NevileCalgary, Alberta

Clergy killers: guidance for pastors and congregations under attack

Scholars Commons

Consensus
Volume 25
Issue 1 Contextual Perspectives in Pastoral Care and
Counselling
Article 28
5-1-1999
Clergy killers: guidance for pastors and
congregations under attack
Donald C. Nevile
Follow this and additional works at: http://scholars.wlu.ca/consensus
This Book Reviews is brought to you for free and open access by Scholars Commons @ Laurier. It has been accepted for inclusion in Consensus by an
authorized editor of Scholars Commons @ Laurier. For more information, please contact scholarscommons@wlu.ca.
Recommended Citation
Nevile, Donald C. (1999) "Clergy killers: guidance for pastors and congregations under attack," Consensus: Vol. 25 : Iss. 1 , Article 28.
Available at: http://scholars.wlu.ca/consensus/vol25/iss1/28
146 Consensus
Eucharist among Romans, largely because of the shortage of priests. Like
most Roman Catholic scholars, he does not recognize that there is a solution
to this, which lies very simply in the ordination of married men and, heaven
forbid, women! But that is another issue altogether.
Is this book necessary? For Roman Catholics, perhaps so. For
Protestants, it provides an interesting window upon recent developments
and attitudes among our Roman brothers and sisters. It is a call to leave
behind routine and obligation in Eucharist and seek the depth and grace
which is there. In this sense, we may all benefit.
Don Nevile
Highwood Lutheran Church
Calgary, Alberta
Clergy Killers: Guidance for Pastors and Congregations Cinder
Attack
G. Lloyd Rediger
Louisville: Westminster/John Knox Press, 1997
200 pages, $17.50 Paperback
With the title of this book, Rediger names a demon which afflicts most
pastors at some time in their professional careers: the person who,
consciously or unconsciously, makes it their goal to undermine and destroy
the pastor’s ministry in that place. Clergy killers are “...persons who
intentionally target pastors for serious injury or destruction” (9). They come
in all shapes and forms, but invariably are characterized by the four D’s:
destructive, determined, deceitful, and demonic.
Every pastor must deal with conflict at some time in his or her ministry.
Do all these involve clergy killers? Mo, says Rediger. Conflict is a normal and
often constructive part of everyday ministry. In contrast, the Clergy Killer is
a discrete pathological syndrome, which goes beyond normal ministerial
conflict or the “attitudinally challenged” person.
Rediger carefully distinguishes between normal conflict and “killer”
conflict, and provides helpful information to help the clergy professional tell
which is which. He uses a “case study” method similar to that pioneered by
Lyle Schaller in his many books. Hypothetical situations are presented, in
which clergy are depicted in conflict with various types of “killers”. The
balance of his book is enhanced by the inclusion of a chapter about the other
side of the coin
—
“killer clergy”. Rediger recognizes that the shoe can also be
Book Reviews 147
on the other foot.
Of the many books and articles written about conflict in the church, this
is the first one actually to “name the demon” and provide realistic spiritual
counsel about how to approach this very serious problem. Rediger calls for
a recognition that persons with severe mental disorders will often gravitate to
the church. He names this as spiritual evil, and urges those who are victims
to struggle against it as such. Loving the perpetrator, he says, will simply not
work, nor will they just go away if ignored. His very useful chapter on
managing clergy killers concludes with the ultimate solution: to isolate these
killers and expel them from the congregation before they destroy it and its
minister!
There is an excellent chapter on “Pastoral Fitness” which would do us all
good to read. He draws attention to physical, emotional, and spiritual
aspects of fitness, all of which go together to make a strong, healthy
professional personality. In addition, he has an interesting section on
exorcism, in which he draws our attention to the fact that the church was
“...born in the universal struggle between good and evil, and that this
struggle is incarnated in our midst, whether we recognize it or not” (94). He
is not interested in traditional ritual exorcism, but rather suggests an
“intervention” model of exorcism, similar to the method used in cases of
severe addiction.
His case studies often feel like “deja-vu”. The solutions offered are not
just personal, but always contextual and social, and involve assessing
congregational weaknesses and dysfunctions which have allowed the
“killers” to operate freely. Unfortunately, almost all his case studies illustrate
unsuccessful outcomes. It seems that there may be no successful way to
deal with clergy killers. Furthermore, his most practical suggestions are
ultimately /7o^about dealing with the problems of the killers, but rather about
protecting and supporting the attacked clergy.
Rediger comes from a pietist, low-church tradition, and he continually
denigrates the power and impact of ritual as well. He identifies prayer SiS a
most powerful spiritual resource in dealing with killers, but then goes on to
say, “Public prayers often seem like a performance
—
perhaps helpful, but still
only a performance” (178). Too bad! As Lutherans, from a liturgical
tradition, it would have been helpful to hear how ritual and liturgy might be
helpful!
This book may confirm your worst fears about the public ministry. The
truths Rediger speaks will both support us (“the tribe that kills its shaman
loses its soul”, p. 2) and call us into reality (“pastoral ministry is no longer safe
place for weak or incompetent pastors”, p. 3).
Don Nevile
Calgary, Alberta


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