Mad Church Disease - Overcoming the Burnout Epidemic
Growing up the daughter of a pastor, Anne Jackson experienced firsthand the conflict, stress, and struggle church leaders often face. She vowed her life in ministry would be different.
Yet, years later, as a church leader, she was hospitalized because stress began wreaking havoc on her body. After being released from the hospital, an associate pastor asked her, "Does working at this church interfere with your communion with Christ?" The question was paramount in turning her life around.
Thinking she wasn't alone, Anne developed a website that allowed church leaders to share their struggles. Within a few days, she was flooded with over a thousand responses from people pouring out their stories of burnout.
Using anecdotal parallels between Mad Cow Disease and leadership trends in the church, she writes not only to help us realize what church leaders are facing, but also to provide practical and positive treatment plans.
Mad Church Disease is a lively, informative, and potentially life-saving resource for anyone in ministry-vocational or volunteer-who would like to understand, prevent, or treat the epidemic of burnout in church culture.
Yet, years later, as a church leader, she was hospitalized because stress began wreaking havoc on her body. After being released from the hospital, an associate pastor asked her, "Does working at this church interfere with your communion with Christ?" The question was paramount in turning her life around.
Thinking she wasn't alone, Anne developed a website that allowed church leaders to share their struggles. Within a few days, she was flooded with over a thousand responses from people pouring out their stories of burnout.
Using anecdotal parallels between Mad Cow Disease and leadership trends in the church, she writes not only to help us realize what church leaders are facing, but also to provide practical and positive treatment plans.
Mad Church Disease is a lively, informative, and potentially life-saving resource for anyone in ministry-vocational or volunteer-who would like to understand, prevent, or treat the epidemic of burnout in church culture.
COME & HANG OUT...
please bring me chocolate.
FlowerDust.net
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SPEAKING
Anne is available to speak to churches, college groups, or retreats on church health, addiction and recovery, confession, and Compassion International. To inquire about Anne speaking at your event, please email anne@flowerdust.net
=====
December 13, 2009
First Presbyterian Church of Eustis
117 South Center Street
Eustis, FL 32726
352 357-2833
9 am & 11 am services
=====
January 25, 2010
Belmont University
Nashville, TN
=====
February 6, 2010
Old Miss Wesley Foundation
Wesley House
Oxford, MS
Private Event
=====
February 21, 2010
Kernstown United Methodist Church
Winchester, Virginia
Sunday Morning Services
8:30 & 11 am
=====
April 21-23, 2010
Catalyst West Coast
Mariners Church
Irvine, CA
Lab on 4/21; Hosting Catalyst Backstage 4/22 & 4/23
=====
May 15-17, 2010
SHINE Conference
Celebration Church
Jacksonville, FL (with Christine Caine)
*******************
June & July 2010
Ride:Well Tour
*******************
--
2009 Events:
January 27, 2009
Innovation3Gathering
Dallas, TX
Bent Tree Bible Fellowship
3 pm-4:15 pm Mad Church Disease Workshop & Conversation
4:30-6 pm - Book Signing
=====
February 2-5, 2009
re:create
Nashville, TN
Thursday, 2/5 @ 10 am
Mad Church Disease: A Conversation on Ministry Health and Healing from Burnout
=====
February 12-13, 2009
National Pastors Convention
San Diego, CA
Thursday 2/12 @ 8:30 am - Mad Church Disease Discussion
Thursday 2/12 @ 10 am - Author Gathering/Book Signing
Thursday 2/12 @ 4 pm - Technology in the Church Panel
Friday 2/13 @ 8:30 am - Raising Pastors? Kids Who Don?t Hate the Church - w/Rozanne Frazee
=====
February 14-15, 2009
Two42 Cafe & Bookstore
Central Christian Church
Las Vegas, NV
FREE & OPEN to EVERYONE!
2/14 @ 4:30 pm, 6:00 pm (Saturday)
2/15 @ 9:00, 10:20, & 11:45 am (Sunday)
Book Signing
=====
February 16, 2009
Mariners Church
Irvine, CA
FREE & OPEN TO EVERYONE!
Mad Church Disease Book Reading & Gathering
Sponsored by Catalyst & Zondervan
With Musical Guest Shaun Groves
7:00 pm
=====
February 26, 2009
Christian Church Buckhead
Atlanta, GA
Off the Blog Discussion & Worship Gathering
with Carlos Whittaker, Jon Acuff & Anne Jackson (Moderated by Pete Wilson)
Sponsored by Catalyst (following Catalyst One Day)
7:00 pm
=====
March 19, 2009
Davis Kidd Books
Nashville, TN
Writers' Symposium with
Chris Coppernoll & Anne Jackson
7 pm - 8 pm
=====
April 15, 2009
Community Christian Church
Naperville, IL
Urban Legends: Porn Isn't a Big Deal
High School Service - 7 pm
with Mike Foster
=====
April 19, 2009
University United Methodist Church
Wichita Falls, TX
Mad Church Disease Discussion
=====
April 22
Live Radio Interview with On the Home Stretch
(Listen Online Here!)
10:30 AM CST
=====
April 26-May 2, 2009
Compassion International Blogging Trip
Calcutta, India
=====
May 8, 2009
Faith Promise Church
Knoxville, TN
Private Event
=====
May 22, 2009
Live Radio Interview with Blog Talk Radio
(Listen Online Here!)
10:00 AM CST
=====
June 4, 2009
Radio Interview with Chris Fabry
Moody Radio
2:00 pm - Listen LIVE HERE
=====
July 5, 2009
Turning Point Community Church Weekend Services
Lubbock TX
9 am & 10:30 am
=====
July 12
The Oaks Church Weekend Services
Red Oak (Dallas), TX
9 am & 11 am
=====
August 1-2, 2009
Oak Leaf Church Weekend Services
Cartersville, GA
Saturday at 6 pm
Sunday at 9:30 & 11:15 am
*(This is a make up visit from the one I had to cancel in May due to an illness!)
=====
September 11-12, 2009
CWC/2009
Los Angeles, CA
Biola University
*(A great web & social media conference that is oh-so-inexpensive!)
=====
September 17, 2009
Healing Place Church
Baton Rouge, LA
The Hub (20somethings/college) Service
@ The Annex - 8 pm
=====
October 7-9, 2009
Catalyst Atlanta
Atlanta, GA
Wednesday, October 7 - Catalyst Lab
Thursday & Friday - Hosting Catalyst Backstage
=====
October 21, 2009
The Walk @ Sevier Heights Baptist Church
Knoxville, TN
9pm - Service
=====
October 27-29
Story
Chicago, IL
*(Behind the Scenes Stuff)
=====
November 5, 2009
National Outreach Convention
San Diego, CA
Permission to Speak Freely Discussion & Mad Church Disease Book Signing
=====
November 6-7, 2009
Lead Now/Fusion Conference
Dallas, TX
with Donald Miller, Francis Chan, George Barna, Mark Batterson, Kay Warren & others
=====
November 10-11, 2009
Dirt Conference
Little Rock, AR
New Life Church
Main Session on Wednesday and two labs
*(This is going to be an amazing conference for creative people. Practical but encouraging and down-to-earth!)
=====
* Home
* ABOUT
* SPEAKING
* RESOURCES
* CONTACT
"*New Blog Post: Looking Through the Eyes of Love - http://bit.ly/3Y4z6d" 7228 followers on Twitter, join them!
Subscribe by RSS Subscribe by email Twitter
SPEAKING
Anne is available to speak to churches, college groups, or retreats on church health, addiction and recovery, confession, and Compassion International. To inquire about Anne speaking at your event, please email anne@flowerdust.net
=====
December 13, 2009
First Presbyterian Church of Eustis
117 South Center Street
Eustis, FL 32726
352 357-2833
9 am & 11 am services
=====
January 25, 2010
Belmont University
Nashville, TN
=====
February 6, 2010
Old Miss Wesley Foundation
Wesley House
Oxford, MS
Private Event
=====
February 21, 2010
Kernstown United Methodist Church
Winchester, Virginia
Sunday Morning Services
8:30 & 11 am
=====
April 21-23, 2010
Catalyst West Coast
Mariners Church
Irvine, CA
Lab on 4/21; Hosting Catalyst Backstage 4/22 & 4/23
=====
May 15-17, 2010
SHINE Conference
Celebration Church
Jacksonville, FL (with Christine Caine)
*******************
June & July 2010
Ride:Well Tour
*******************
--
2009 Events:
January 27, 2009
Innovation3Gathering
Dallas, TX
Bent Tree Bible Fellowship
3 pm-4:15 pm Mad Church Disease Workshop & Conversation
4:30-6 pm - Book Signing
=====
February 2-5, 2009
re:create
Nashville, TN
Thursday, 2/5 @ 10 am
Mad Church Disease: A Conversation on Ministry Health and Healing from Burnout
=====
February 12-13, 2009
National Pastors Convention
San Diego, CA
Thursday 2/12 @ 8:30 am - Mad Church Disease Discussion
Thursday 2/12 @ 10 am - Author Gathering/Book Signing
Thursday 2/12 @ 4 pm - Technology in the Church Panel
Friday 2/13 @ 8:30 am - Raising Pastors? Kids Who Don?t Hate the Church - w/Rozanne Frazee
=====
February 14-15, 2009
Two42 Cafe & Bookstore
Central Christian Church
Las Vegas, NV
FREE & OPEN to EVERYONE!
2/14 @ 4:30 pm, 6:00 pm (Saturday)
2/15 @ 9:00, 10:20, & 11:45 am (Sunday)
Book Signing
=====
February 16, 2009
Mariners Church
Irvine, CA
FREE & OPEN TO EVERYONE!
Mad Church Disease Book Reading & Gathering
Sponsored by Catalyst & Zondervan
With Musical Guest Shaun Groves
7:00 pm
=====
February 26, 2009
Christian Church Buckhead
Atlanta, GA
Off the Blog Discussion & Worship Gathering
with Carlos Whittaker, Jon Acuff & Anne Jackson (Moderated by Pete Wilson)
Sponsored by Catalyst (following Catalyst One Day)
7:00 pm
=====
March 19, 2009
Davis Kidd Books
Nashville, TN
Writers' Symposium with
Chris Coppernoll & Anne Jackson
7 pm - 8 pm
=====
April 15, 2009
Community Christian Church
Naperville, IL
Urban Legends: Porn Isn't a Big Deal
High School Service - 7 pm
with Mike Foster
=====
April 19, 2009
University United Methodist Church
Wichita Falls, TX
Mad Church Disease Discussion
=====
April 22
Live Radio Interview with On the Home Stretch
(Listen Online Here!)
10:30 AM CST
=====
April 26-May 2, 2009
Compassion International Blogging Trip
Calcutta, India
=====
May 8, 2009
Faith Promise Church
Knoxville, TN
Private Event
=====
May 22, 2009
Live Radio Interview with Blog Talk Radio
(Listen Online Here!)
10:00 AM CST
=====
June 4, 2009
Radio Interview with Chris Fabry
Moody Radio
2:00 pm - Listen LIVE HERE
=====
July 5, 2009
Turning Point Community Church Weekend Services
Lubbock TX
9 am & 10:30 am
=====
July 12
The Oaks Church Weekend Services
Red Oak (Dallas), TX
9 am & 11 am
=====
August 1-2, 2009
Oak Leaf Church Weekend Services
Cartersville, GA
Saturday at 6 pm
Sunday at 9:30 & 11:15 am
*(This is a make up visit from the one I had to cancel in May due to an illness!)
=====
September 11-12, 2009
CWC/2009
Los Angeles, CA
Biola University
*(A great web & social media conference that is oh-so-inexpensive!)
=====
September 17, 2009
Healing Place Church
Baton Rouge, LA
The Hub (20somethings/college) Service
@ The Annex - 8 pm
=====
October 7-9, 2009
Catalyst Atlanta
Atlanta, GA
Wednesday, October 7 - Catalyst Lab
Thursday & Friday - Hosting Catalyst Backstage
=====
October 21, 2009
The Walk @ Sevier Heights Baptist Church
Knoxville, TN
9pm - Service
=====
October 27-29
Story
Chicago, IL
*(Behind the Scenes Stuff)
=====
November 5, 2009
National Outreach Convention
San Diego, CA
Permission to Speak Freely Discussion & Mad Church Disease Book Signing
=====
November 6-7, 2009
Lead Now/Fusion Conference
Dallas, TX
with Donald Miller, Francis Chan, George Barna, Mark Batterson, Kay Warren & others
=====
November 10-11, 2009
Dirt Conference
Little Rock, AR
New Life Church
Main Session on Wednesday and two labs
*(This is going to be an amazing conference for creative people. Practical but encouraging and down-to-earth!)
=====
Get Mad Church Disease
the book, not the actual disease.
Mad Church Disease: Overcoming the Burnout Epidemic
Amazon Price: $13.25 (as of 11/28/2009) 
MAD CHURCH DISEASE ONLINE
check it out and say hello
- Mad Church Disease | The Church-Wide Burnout Epidemic
- The official website of Mad Church Disease
Some Schweet Links
Givin' Mad Church Disease Some Love
- Interview with Anne Jackson on Church Marketing Sucks
- Church Marketing Sucks interviews author Anne Jackson on the disease and potlucks.
- Fight Mad Church Disease Facebook Style
- Karate chops and nunchucks allowed
- The Official MCD MySpace Page
- MySpace is so yesterday, but we still have some friends hanging on!
- An interview with the Brown Blog
- Get inside my head some...and why pastors look at porn when they're away from home...
- Another interview - at Next Steps Leadership
- Great questions from Ryan. A good leadership interview.
Google MCD
it's more polite than ogling.
- Mondok Blog: Book Review: Mad Church Disease
- Like swine flu ravaging passengers on an airplane, Mad Church Disease is an epidemic running unchecked in churches all across the country. Sadly, victims of burnout look for comfort and relief in sin rather than God or his people. ...
- Mad Church Disease – A Review
- Mad Church Disease is a well-written guide to battling and overcoming church burnout and pain. It has helped me process my ?blind-side? experience and to establish a path toward greater spiritual and physical health and rest. ...
- Burnout Stats: Satisfaction of Prayer Life
- More statistical evidence of pastoral burnout from Anne Jackson's Mad Church Disease. 21 percent of pastors pray less than 15 minutes a day. Those most satisfied with their prayer life spend almost an hour in prayer per day; ...
- Mad Church Disease – A Review
- Anne courageously leads us through a process of spiritual self-examination to diagnose our own spiritual health and take steps toward spiritual health when we've been hurt?. Read the original here: Mad Church Disease ? A Review.
Anne's Personal Blog
Fetching RSS feed... please stand byForum for Discussing Mad Church Disease
submit
-
Reply
- Susan David Susan David Jul 17, 2009 @ 7:20 pm
- Hi,
We are inviting 10 pastors' wives to join a charter membership club for free for 2 months. Visit for more details: http://www.susandavidlifecoach.com/index.php/sponsors
You can also get a free Ebook at http://www.stoppastorburnout.com or just visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=miF-R0bCz0A for additional info.
Thank you and God bless!
-
Reply
- KristinRussell KristinRussell May 27, 2008 @ 7:09 pm
- Your book looks really interesting,
Anne! And I think we have a friend in common: Keely Scott?
-
Reply
- saralee saralee Sep 25, 2007 @ 9:25 am
- Glad to see you have so many speaking gigs. Hope to see you in the KC area sometime!
-
Reply
- allysa allysa Sep 4, 2007 @ 5:47 am
- great lens, keep up the good work. Kudos!
-
Reply
- AnneJackson AnneJackson Sep 2, 2007 @ 8:40 pm
- muchas gracias!
- Load More
What Others Are Saying
Are you suffering from Mad Church Disease? It is the illness facing church leaders who - despite their best efforts to serve God and his people - are killing themselves spiritually, physically, emotionally or relationally.
In the book, Mad Church Disease , popular author and blogger, Anne Jackson, digs into the causes, symptoms and solutions of a wide variety of challenges stemming from church work. Anne should know: she's a pastor's kid and has been employed in churches. I doubt there is anything quite like the dynamics of working in a church when it comes to the pressure it puts on leaders. And Anne captures the experiences and causes of burnout effectively.
The book is deep, but not stuffy. It is funny, but not cynical. It is easy to read, without being simplistic. Anne's writing is poignant and personal, without being tacky. It takes a long, hard look at the difficulties of church work, while asking readers to face their problems.
Ultimately, Mad Church Disease is not just about solutions, it is a solution. It is a tool that can be used by a church staff or by individuals. It contains helpful interviews with church leaders who have lived through Mad Church Disease. And it offers worksheets to start private or group discussions about the issues of personal and spiritual health. Use this great new tool to find and restore healthy margins in your life.
--Dave Kinnaman, President, Barna Group --Barna Group, June 2009
----
My first thought: "What does a twenty-eight-year-old know about burnout?" Then I read this story about a girl named Anne, who grew up in a pastor's home and has lived through enough experiences to know what she's talking about. Anne Jackson not only tells her own story, but she gracefully integrates principles that have me at times saying, "That's right!" and at other times admitting, "That's me." As soon as I can, I'll be ordering enough copies for our entire staff. -- Tim Stevens, executive pastor, Granger Community Church, Granger, Indiana, and author of Pop Goes the Church --Tim Stevens, executive pastor, Granger Community Church
----
Anne Jackson is the real deal. And I appreciate her honest approach to a touchy topic. Mad Church Disease is a must-read for anyone who has gotten burned or burned-out by the church. -- Mark Batterson, lead pastor, National Community Church, Washington, D.C., and author of Wild Goose Chase
----
From the perspective of her own devastating personal experience, as well as by means of strongly researched facts, Anne Jackson opens our eyes to the crisis of ministry burnout. This paralyzing and contagious condition has wounded so many in church leadership. Mad Church Disease is a light on the path to healing and health. -- Nancy Ortberg, Author, of Unleashing the Power of Rubber Bands
Review
Every Christian leader intends to "finish our race well." Yet far too many of us end up escaping into sin or becoming numb, embittered, and angry. Mad Church Disease offers all of us the hope that we can actually make it to the end of the race, loving God and others with greater passion and being filled with audacious joy. Anne Jackson writes with raw honesty and hard-earned wisdom from her own story of burnout. -- Nancy Beach, teaching pastor, Willow Creek Community Church, South Barrington, Illinois
In the book, Mad Church Disease , popular author and blogger, Anne Jackson, digs into the causes, symptoms and solutions of a wide variety of challenges stemming from church work. Anne should know: she's a pastor's kid and has been employed in churches. I doubt there is anything quite like the dynamics of working in a church when it comes to the pressure it puts on leaders. And Anne captures the experiences and causes of burnout effectively.
The book is deep, but not stuffy. It is funny, but not cynical. It is easy to read, without being simplistic. Anne's writing is poignant and personal, without being tacky. It takes a long, hard look at the difficulties of church work, while asking readers to face their problems.
Ultimately, Mad Church Disease is not just about solutions, it is a solution. It is a tool that can be used by a church staff or by individuals. It contains helpful interviews with church leaders who have lived through Mad Church Disease. And it offers worksheets to start private or group discussions about the issues of personal and spiritual health. Use this great new tool to find and restore healthy margins in your life.
--Dave Kinnaman, President, Barna Group --Barna Group, June 2009
----
My first thought: "What does a twenty-eight-year-old know about burnout?" Then I read this story about a girl named Anne, who grew up in a pastor's home and has lived through enough experiences to know what she's talking about. Anne Jackson not only tells her own story, but she gracefully integrates principles that have me at times saying, "That's right!" and at other times admitting, "That's me." As soon as I can, I'll be ordering enough copies for our entire staff. -- Tim Stevens, executive pastor, Granger Community Church, Granger, Indiana, and author of Pop Goes the Church --Tim Stevens, executive pastor, Granger Community Church
----
Anne Jackson is the real deal. And I appreciate her honest approach to a touchy topic. Mad Church Disease is a must-read for anyone who has gotten burned or burned-out by the church. -- Mark Batterson, lead pastor, National Community Church, Washington, D.C., and author of Wild Goose Chase
----
From the perspective of her own devastating personal experience, as well as by means of strongly researched facts, Anne Jackson opens our eyes to the crisis of ministry burnout. This paralyzing and contagious condition has wounded so many in church leadership. Mad Church Disease is a light on the path to healing and health. -- Nancy Ortberg, Author, of Unleashing the Power of Rubber Bands
Review
Every Christian leader intends to "finish our race well." Yet far too many of us end up escaping into sin or becoming numb, embittered, and angry. Mad Church Disease offers all of us the hope that we can actually make it to the end of the race, loving God and others with greater passion and being filled with audacious joy. Anne Jackson writes with raw honesty and hard-earned wisdom from her own story of burnout. -- Nancy Beach, teaching pastor, Willow Creek Community Church, South Barrington, Illinois
by AnneJackson
Anne Jackson has traveled all over the world using online media to tell stories of those living in poverty. Anyone wielding a computer and an internet... (more)
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