An Interim Pastor’s Gift; God Laughs; A Company of Pastors

by Stephen McCutchan
All three titles are available on Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
REVIEWED BY ROBERT A. (BOB) HARRIS

Passionate about the health of clergy and their families, Stephen McCutchan seeks to stimulate awareness of and compassion for the complex life of a busy parish pastor.

McCutchan, a retired Presbyterian pastor, addresses the tough issues of faith and doubt, of sin and temptation (related to finances, sexual behavior, jealousy, etc.), the isolation and loneliness of pastors, handling conflict, balancing work and family and a host of other issues. In his books he notes dimensions of clergy health:

• Physical and emotional health,
• Financial health,
• Family health,
• Spiritual health, and
• Vocational health.

Each book is full of helpful tools and powerful questions designed to promote conversation and insight. They are available only on Amazon’s Kindle platform.

“An Interim Pastor’s Gift: A Guide to Raising a Congregation’s Awareness Regarding the Health of Clergy.” This book will be most helpful to interim pastors and to congregations during the interim period. Led by the interim pastor, congregational leaders are guided to consider the aspects of clergy health indicated above. McCutchan has a thought-provoking list of “10 ways a congregation can abuse her pastor.” Included are such practices as praising the pastor for working 70-hour weeks and refusing to call members to account for disruptive behavior. I have encouraged the interim pastors with whom I work to get this book.

“God Laughs — Why Don’t You?: Making Use of Humor in the Practice of Ministry.” I began reading this book with some trepidation, fearing that it was an attempt to teach pastors to be stand-up comedians. However, McCutchan presses the preacher to pay attention to the Bible’s use of hyperbole and to God’s own outrageous sense of humor. Think how God must have laughed at the idea of Sarai becoming pregnant! (She laughed!) He encourages pastors to find humor in their own frustrations. One example: “You are called by God but you are hired by a congregation. One wants to offer you eternal blessings and the other as low a salary as they can get away with. Both want you to boldly proclaim THEIR truth.” I occasionally tell a joke in a sermon, but have found that the best humor comes from mining my own experience. McCutchan supports my previous belief; therefore, he’s a genius!

“A Company of Pastors: Experiencing the Support of the Beloved Community and Overcoming the Isolation of the Pastorate.” McCutchan intends that this book be used by a small group of pastors who want to explore the joys, temptations, tribulations and loneliness of being a pastor. It outlines a series of 20 small group gatherings in which participants use his book of short stories, “Clergy Tales — Tails: Volume 1,2, & 3,” as grounds for discussion. This would be an excellent resource for colleague groups that have become group gripe sessions.

McCutchan, a leader with the Presbytery Pastoral Care Network, is passionate about helping pastors deal constructively with the pressures of their calling. These books and his novel, “A Star and a Tear,” will help.

ROBERT A. (BOB) HARRIS is is a semi-retired pastor who now works as a leadership coach and consultant. He lives in northern Virginia and is author of “Entering Wonderland: A Toolkit for Pastors New to a Church.”