Finishing Strong Exploring Endurance and Resiliency in Ministry

By Glenn C. Taylor (Independent, 2020). 134 pages. $12 (e-book $5)

if anyone knows how to finish strong, it’s Glenn Taylor. His 60year career includes multiple earned degrees in theology and psychology, pioneering three congregations, correctional chaplaincy, 15 years in Bible college teaching and administration, leading a large urban ministry and decades of counselling and conflict resolution.

He writes here that endurance and resiliency – often thought of as personality characteristics that help us survive a wilderness experience or dark night of the soul – are better understood as relational qualities.

They develop from relationships with “the Holy Spirit, relationships within our community of faith, relationships with those outside the faith, including the intentions of Satan, and most certainly, our relationship or understanding of ourselves.”

Taylor holds out hope for growing into endurance and resiliency. He points to biblical examples and draws on health research. And he reminds us of the scriptural assurance God is at work in all our circumstances, preparing us for life in the new heaven and earth.

Finishing Strong integrates psychological findings with biblical truth. Serious readers will benefit from his challenge to consider how our formative years influence our approach to ministry and to reflect on our gifts and abilities, ministry expectations, approach to conflict resolution, philosophy of leadership and response to stress.

This resource can do much to salvage the careers of discouraged servants of God. I wish it had been available to me years ago.