Michael Milco: Ethical Dilemmas in Church Leadership
Michael R. Milco, Ethical Dilemmas in Church Leadership: Case Studies in Biblical Decision Making (Kregel Academic & Professional, 1997), 192 pages, ISBN 9780825431975.
Are you facing a crisis? Need to make a sensitive decision? How you aware of how your personality affects how you make difficult decisions?
Ethical Dilemmas In Church Leadership is an intellectually oriented work on ethical leadership in the Church. The author, Pastor Michael R. Milco, includes a Myers-Briggs Personality assessment in the first chapter. He also references other tests and assessments that will help the reader understand their own psychological make-up.
Dilemmas include a case study in each chapter, including a completely fictional practice case in Chapter 11. A blank form of the Decision-Making Tower, a model or framework for ethical decisions, is included for the reader. A completed Tower is shown for the cases in the book, and illustrates the issues and considerations that influence each case.
The work is well written and well researched, covering a wide range of decision making areas. Appendices even address the difficult subjects of child abuse, AIDS and Pastoral infidelity. Pastor Milco writes with wisdom and compassion.
Dilemmas is intellectually rigorous and academically structured. This work has obvious Biblical influences and is intended to have a Church focus. However, it lacks the kind of Biblical rooting and Spirit-led foundation needed in order to live up to its potential. As helpful as it is already, a clearer reliance on Scriptural principles would give this book the strength it needs to be a powerful tool for the Pastor and Church leader.
Reviewed by Kirk Hunt
Preview this book: books.google.com/books?id=RDn1xmz_VksC
Category: Ministry, Winter 2011