New Book: The Posture Of A Godly Leader
I am very excited and humbled to let you know about a new book coming out in late February that I’ve been working on the past several years. The title of the book is "The Posture of a Godly Leader." As you can guess, it is a book about leadership.
Now as soon as you read that, if you are like me, you’re thinking, “Seriously? Another book on leadership? I already have a shelf full of leadership books thank you very much.”
I get it. I’m with you. The last thing you need is to read yet another book on leadership. Truth is, there are so many great leadership books out there, why in the world would I even take the time to write this little volume?
Here’s why.
I have a specific burden.
The longer I am in ministry, the clearer it becomes just how important strong leadership in the church is, and this is particularly true when it comes to pastoral leadership in struggling, declining congregations.
And there lies the burden of this book.
What kind of leadership is needed to guide a dying church back to life? Or, put another way, what are those leadership qualities that make a church revitalizer most effective?
Perhaps many different qualities jump to your mind. You might think of things such as personal charisma or cultural savvy or speaking ability or programming creativity or strategic planning. These are the types of things that often pop up in conversations surrounding this topic. Don’t get me wrong, each of these has its place. And there is no question that qualities like these can be very helpful and at times are quite necessary in church revitalization. But in this book, I want to go in a different direction. I want to dive a little bit deeper. I want to intentionally go beneath the surface of leadership methodology and strategy, as important as these are, and look at the leader’s heart. Specifically, the heart of those leading hurting, struggling, weary, tired, dying churches.
What I am most concerned with in these pages is not “what” to do as a pastor leading a declining church but rather “how” a pastor is to rightly lead a declining church. I’m not concerned so much with the most effective “practices” (though I will include many of those) but rather the “posture” a God-honoring church revitalizer must lead with and from.
Now, while the primary audience of this book are those called to help lead and revitalize declining and dying churches, I do believe much of the content here can be helpful to those serving in other areas of ministry and leadership too. In many ways, this book applies to anyone stepping into or currently serving in a leadership position with an existing ministry or organization. In particular, an existing ministry or organization that is plateaued or declining. So, whether you are a youth pastor called to lead a student ministry that is struggling, a worship leader trying to lead a healthy transition within a congregation’s music ministry, or a volunteer desiring to take your ministry team to the next level, I believe this book can be of help to you on some level in your leadership.
One more thing, "The Posture of a Godly Leader" is the first in a four-book series focusing on the ministry of church revitalization. The series, “Starting Right in Church Revitalization”, focuses on key areas of pastoral ministry crucial in turning around a declining church. Be looking for the other 3 books in this series over the next year. Here are the titles:
Book 1: The Posture of a Godly Leader
Book 2: Foundational Priorities of a Biblical Church
Book 3: Intentional Practices for Effective Ministry
Book 4: Persevering in Pastoral Faithfulness
Please join me in praying that will God use these books for His glory and the advancement of His Kingdom.
