The Pastor's Kid: What It's Like and How to Help

“The Pastor’s Kid is a must-read for PKs and their parents. It is also an invaluable guide for church members that will gently correct some misconceptions about how to minister to PKs. Piper speaks with the heart of not just a PK but a parent who is seeking to love his own children well. The Pastor’s Kid deeply stirred my memories of growing up and encouraged me to know that my feelings and journeys were not wasted. ”

“Kermit thinks it isn’t easy being green; he should try being a pastor’s kid. Few roles are more tricky and taxing than growing up as the son or daughter of a minister. And few voices are more qualified to speak to that enigma than Barnabas Piper. The Pastor’s Kid is an insightful and winsome look at what it means to follow Jesus in a pressurized fishbowl of expectations and is laced with helpful advice to stay sane in the midst of it all. I wish I had had this book to help me make sense of life in my formative years. ”

“Barnabas Piper challenges us to put faith into action. Practical and insightful, The Pastor’s Kid is a must-read for anyone who wants a closer relationship with Christ. ”

“Here’s straight talk to PKs, pastors, and churches about the unique hazards of growing up in a spiritual hothouse and the deep grace available to go forward. ”

“The tragic celebrity culture that shrouds pastors and their families is a bit like applauding the tallest miniature horse. God is supposed to be the only one we make much of, not the pastor or his children. And yet our need for idols has placed a crushing weight on PKs so that they are, in the words of Barnabas Piper, known of and not known. As a PK myself I know all too well the euphoria of being known of and the utter emptiness of not being known. This book gives much-needed hope to families navigating the ‘reality show’ called church. Thank you, Barnabas Piper! ”

“As a PK, I know few understand the perspective from inside the church fishbowl. Barnabas Piper captures the fishbowl perspective and writes what a lot of us PKs have been thinking for a long time. But this book isn’t just for PKs. It’s for the church. The Pastor’s Kid is a case study on the effects of unrealistic expectations; those others place on us and the ones we place on ourselves. Every churchgoer should read this book. ”