The first time I read Shelley Trebesch’s Isolation was in the summer of 2010. I’d recently been “let go” from my job at a church for “not being a good fit.” It was (and still is) a painful experience and I was (and still am) having a tough time processing it.
My friend and doctoral colleague, Glenn Williams, suggested Trebesch’s book. He’d also navigated a similar situation and found the small book offered big insights into what happens when someone in ministry experiences a period of isolation. The book is written for people in ministry about how to navigate times when they are not actively engaged in ministry. As another colleague, Russ Pierson, notes on his blog, this limits the scope of Trebesch’s immediate audience and possibly narrows the context of applicability.
You, dear reader, may not be involved in something you’d call “ministry.” But I’ll wager that Trebesch has something to say to you as well. If you have the time and the resolve to expose yourself to 100 pages of “insider” talk about the practice of ministry, analysis of Biblical characters, and the insecurities of those who practice professional ministry, you might find that there are takeaways that work in your context as well. Continue Reading…
