The Elephant in the Church: What you don't see can kill your ministry
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To be able to navigate in a difficult place takes lots of wisdom.  The CHURCH is such a place, especially for a minister...
The Elephant in the Church:  What you don't see can kill your ministry!  is a helpful description of what we, as pastors, must watch for in the church...
The book is clear, direct, and very true to those who want to find their way through the ministry of the Church.
A must have book for all ministers and others who are navigating the waters...

S.M.S.
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<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Sacred-Silence-Denial-and-the-Crisis-in-the-Church/dp/0814627315/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Sacred Silence: Denial and the Crisis in the Church</a>

Although "Sacred Silence" was written in 2002 its topic about ministry in the Catholic Church is still a pivotal concern. Over the centuries some ministers (popes, bishops, priests, religious and laypersons) have practiced silence, lack of openness and most importantly, denial about aspects of their ministry to maintain the image of the Catholic Church free of scandal, criticism, strife, and other negative aspects.

In this book, Father Donald Cozzens analyzes aspects of ministry in the 21st century Catholic Church in the United States. Formation of priests, selection of bishops, exclusion of women, as well as homosexual and heterosexual ministers, sexual abuse of minors by priests, shortage of priests and weak leadership in the church are some issues the author indicates needing open dialog.

With sociological data and opinions from a wide spectrum of current authors - both lay and clerical - Cozzens presents problematic issues. The American Catholic family presently rears 1.85 children. This is not an encouraging source of future priests, or for the men and women religious the Catholic Church will need for ministry in its growing parish communities. Over 50% of priests today minister to two or more parishes. This is a worldwide situation. Priests are getting older and fewer. Women wishing to partake in decision-making processes and ministries are routinely irritated when excluded and not valued for their competency, and are subjected to the use of sexist language.

Homosexual ministers are profoundly saddened when their orientation is described by official Vatican documents as "objective disturbance". Criminal activities of pedophilia and ephebephilia ministers over these past 20 to 30 years have left a trail of hundreds of thousands of innocent victims, plus pastoral and financial disaster. Silence, administrative cover-ups and transferals to other parishes have made this possible. This code of silence has wrecked and continues to diminish the Church's credibility.

This book is not just an expos of the worst in the present day Catholic Church. Cozzens also appeals for strength and quality leadership in the church during these times of post-modernity, echoing the words of Paul to the young bishop Timothy: "The Spirit God has given us is no cowardly spirit, but rather one that makes us strong,loving and wise" (2Tm 1, 7). He appeals for open forums on these issues. The People of God want to hear the Word of God and want to be heard. Silence protects the guilty. Dialog and faithful witness generates "truth with love".

Cozzens, Donald. Sacred Silence, The Liturgical Press, 2002. 207 p. w/ Index.
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This excellent book lays out succinctly a lot of the key issues that block organic, relational ministry in US churches, and offers effective ways to get around those obstacles. The chapter on lead pastors is particularly profound--as someone who coaches pastors for a living, I've seen the issues he describes over and over again. This is the kind of book that can be painful to read but very productive if you are desperate enough to let go of what you've always done and do the things that will really make a difference instead. The unique, challenging aspect of this book is that it asks for genuine, personal transformation (changes in values, core beliefs about ministry, and heart) as the solution to making small group ministry instead of simply promoting programmatic solutions or new structures.

Chapters are divided into an initial section that lays out the problem, followed by a lengthy portion that offers potential solutions. Clearly, Neighbour has a lot of experience, both personally and as a consultant, in working with relational ministry. Definitely worthwhile!
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After returning to the Lord after a 23-year absence I was very surprised to see how much the church in America has changed. Taking the place of a dwindling number of traditional churches are now seeker/purpose-driven churches and emergent churches. What's all this about?

In this book, evangelical theologian and minister, David Wells, takes aim at the seeker and emergent models. Seeker churches use the latest marketing tools and technology to draw visitors. Content and format are overtly culture-friendly while preaching and doctrine are decidedly on the light side. Emergent churches use the Bible as a starting point to a self-discovery "narrative" which suggests truth/s rather than declares it. Emergents are so culture-friendly they've adopted much of the relativism that surrounds us in this post-modern era. In both types the vital distinctives of evangelical Protestantism - the Five Solas - are being compromised or dismissed altogether.

Wells is extremely critical of both movements and supports a return to the traditional church/worship model. I cautiously recommend this book to those interested in learning more about the seeker and emergent models and how they compare to the traditional church but be forewarned that the theology gets VERY heavy. It's definitely not a breezy read for the beach.

My opinion? I'll take some traditional hymn singing and the pastor preaching from the pulpit in a suit every Sunday but it looks like those days are fading fast. However, I'm grateful just to have a church to go to where the Bible is preached without compromise. They seem to be getting harder to find. But it is a little disconcerting to see how pastors' obligatory Sunday outfit de rigueur is now jeans, sneakers, and a flannel shirt.
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Excellent read for any church member who cares about his or her fellowship.  All members should be on the alert for this type of malicious behavior within their community of believers.  There really are wolves in sheep's clothing.  These wolves can look like believers with their talk and some actions but be alert , these wolves can destroy your leaders.

If you have a leader that needs to be removed read this to be sure it is done in the right way.  No matter your circumstances this is a valuable book for leaders and congregates.

Church elder in Florida
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Church leadership is dying.  If you are interested in building leaders in your church, this is the book to read.
There are many books out there on leadership.  Most of them are secular and can be used to help aid in leading in a church, but this book aims specifically at making leaders within the church.

e of the key factors in leadership is discipling our younger members into becoming leaders.  This would be the conviction that the author is describing.  Many churches are lacking in discipleship.
The authors give the reader an amazing map or directions on how to make disciples in the church. Three things: Constructs, Culture and Conviction.  If any one of the three is missing, the leadership is lacking.  For example, Constructs without conviction produces apathy.  This

means that the church does not have a conviction for producing leaders.

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review and the opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255 : Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.
I feel that every pastor or those in leadership need to read this book  if we are going to build leadership in our churches.
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I found this work very applicable to pastoral leadership. Of course, there are differences between ministry and business leadership, but this little book contains several nuggets of truth for ministry. I was especially challenged to reconsider our mission statement every few years. Has our mission changed? Should it change?
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Breaking The Missional Code is a balanced perspective on building a biblical church ministry and is must-reading for anyone striving to reach their communities for Christ while at the same time struggling to understand where they may be going wrong.  It will also be helpful for those who are suspicious of contemporary church models and fear they are all watering down the faith or discarding critical doctrines.  It is an important book that seeks to reach beyond our tendencies to expect everyone to do ministry the way one person or group thinks it should be done.  With recommendations from such diverse leaders as Rick Warren, Dan Kimball, and Mark Driscoll, the authors have surveyed the landscape of evangelical America and pulled together biblical and missional components from both contemporary and traditional models of various denominations and geographies.  And they demonstrate that reaching people for Christ doesn't have to be devoid of either sound theology or contemporary applications.  Those who have done ministry by the Purpose Driven book or the Willow Creek book and failed will find encouragement in Stetzer and Putman's exhortations to do ministry by The Book, not by following fads and trends or by implementing church models that reach specific demographics in Barrington, Illinois, or Orange County, California, but by digging deeper into the community to determine the unique cultural obstacles in their respective communities and then communicating the gospel in a way that doesn't create non-biblical barriers to people receiving and understanding the gospel.
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I can't remember the first time I heard Fitch use the phrase "faithful presence." But even before this book was released, that phrase had an overwhelming impact on my ministry in the local church. It has affected the way I view my time in and out of my office, in my part-time job at an elementary school, and in particular as I minister to the overall church bodyincluding the children and youth.

"Faithful Presence" unpacks the phrase that has appeared in a variety of Fitch's blogs, podcasts, and seminar discussions. He lays out seven disciplines for churches seeking to find where God is already at work in their communities and neighbourhoods. This is far from another "church growth program" designed for a boom in numbers. In fact, being faithful to Fitch's book will challenge the expectations of many church members. It will definitely bring about growth, but not necessarily in quantifiable ways. Fully engaging with these ideas will require many churches to re-examine what practices are helpful for mission.

While Fitch has a well-known love for McDonald's coffee, this book is far from processed food. Take some time, dig in, and have some conversations. It is more than thought provoking; it demands actions.
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If were not intentional about the vision, we will lose it. We will end up going somewhere we don't want to go and becoming something we don't want to become, according to Shawn Lovejoy in this book. On the other hand, maintaining the vision over time leads to success. Everyone starts out with a vision, but few finish with one. This book aims to describe how to finish with vision.

The book describes the importance of vision for Christian ministry, and church leadership in particular. Aspects of vision discussed include:

 How to have a holy wrestling match to discover your God-given vision
 How to keep the vision alive in yourself and in others
 How to identify a vision hijacker and keep the vision from being hijacked
 How to get things back on track when the vision is not working out
 How to finish well and release the vision to a new leader gracefully

Many of the authors concepts will be familiar to those who have previous familiarity with the work of Bill Hybels and Jim Collins, but the book as a whole provides a new perspective on the vision lifecycle of a church leader. I found the advice on finishing well to be particularly helpful, and I would warmly commend this book to any church leader.
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In 2001, with my first year of Romanian mission work behind me, I returned home for the summer to discover that my youth group friends had disappeared from the church. Only a small handful of the group was now in the college class. The more I tried to connect with old friends, the more I realized that though many were still in town, most of them were no longer in church anywhere.

Apparently, the problem I noticed in 2001 has only grown. Many churches today are waking up to the fact that a generation of young people is missing from the church. The twenty-something crowd has largely disappeared, and most churches know neither why they have left nor what they can do to get them back.

The statistics show that two-thirds of churchgoing young adults drop out between the ages of 18 and 22.  These numbers serve as an indictment against the methods and training common to most children and youth ministries. The numbers also indicate an abdication of responsibility on the part of parents to raise their children to value the church.

This sad phenomenon is described in detail in Essential Church?: Reclaiming a Generation of Dropouts(Broadman & Holman, 2008) by Thom and Sam Rainer. In Essential Church, the Rainers (father and son) tell us the reasons young people give for leaving church and what the church must do to win them back.

In the first part of the book, the authors show why young people leave what they call the "nonessential church." In the second part, they show four qualities present in churches that retain their young people through the college years.

I appreciate the way in which Thom and Sam Rainer can share stastics and give advice without emphasizing formulas over substance. Again and again, they say that theirs is not a formula for "success." Instead, they are seeking to steer churches back to orthodox practice and teaching.

Here is what they've discovered: churches that retain young people tend to have simple structures, deep and challenging biblical teaching, an attitude that expects commitment from young people, and an outward focus that leads to evangelism and missions. In other words, churches that function biblically do better at keeping their members. (Surprise!)

Essential Church will encourage healthy conversation about what it means for the church to be the church. It represents a call for the church to return to Scripture rather than outdated methods and formulas for success. And maybe a book like this can help churches stop the mass exodus of young people from their congregation.
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There are so many faultfinders that the Church is about to capsize. All Joel Osteen preaches is a simple message that is indeed taken directly from God's Word. Then the foot says "who needs the eye?" and the arm says "who needs the ear?". Notice that the faultfinders point to what is "missing" which means that if a sermon doesn't pack the entire Bible in it then it must be false. God has chosen to bless Joel Osteen and others at this time, but sour grapes runneth over. Other preachers emphasize other things, and that's great. But many who shred Joel Osteen seem to think that if a church grows quickly and many respond, then it must be bad or something. Ugh. I loved the book!
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Church planter, Bob Roberts, Jr., wondered why the Western Church is struggling.  After working with pastors in the East, he has discovered that we have a lot to learn about being a follower of Christ. In America, church means something different than it does to those churches fighting persecution and death threats daily.

American churches have no idea what true persecution is like. Would our churches operate under a different paradigm if our faith had to follow us into the doors of our churches?  Because we are free to worship the way we choose, we may take our church, our faith, our worship for granted.

In "Lessons From the East", Dr. Roberts gives pastors guidelines to follow to lead the Western church into a deeper relationship with God--a relationship where believers are transformed into disciples, look at the world through the eyes of Jesus and take their faith into their Monday through Saturday world.  He doesn't sugarcoat the Gospel.  He doesn't filter out the harsh words. He doesn't mince words.  He says it like he believes God sees our church today.

If you are a pastor, this book is a necessity.  Pastors in America are conned into thinking that they have to be popular and leaders of megachurches.  They want to say the "right" things to keep people coming back.  Few are the ones looking to lead people to a relationship with God based on biblical principles.

Dr. Roberts wants pastors to throw down their pride and their megachurch mentality.  Take a look at what churches have to endure in the East.  Find out why churches in areas that experience persecution are growing and ours are not.  What will it take for us to go to church to meet God rather than our friends?

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Handlebar Marketingas part of their Book Review Blogger Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255: Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.
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JR Woodward is an American church planter, organizational leader, entrepreneur, author, academic, and leader. His foremost interests are in missional theology, missional leadership, theology and film, spiritual formation, and organizational dynamics (see his website for a full biography).

The main argument (thesis) in Creating a Missional Culture is that the unseen culture of a church is what most powerfully shapes its ability to grow, mature, and live missionally, more so than its vision, strategy, and plans (Location 211). Woodward supports this thesis through four sections that each address a different aspect of that powerful unseen culture.

This book is easy to read, extremely accessible, and has important gems that will help any and every leader cultivate and create a missional culture in their church - regardless of size. What makes this book a must read on every ministry leader's list is the fact that these are not dry academic thoughts, nor are they anecdotal musings from a practitioner. He provides solid research for his thoughts that arose out of the trenches of ministry. This guy is the real deal, so I give this book a five out of five.

Here's an overview of the sections:

In the first section, he talks about the force of culture in life, society, and in churches. He then addresses how leaders need to be aware of just how powerful culture is in shaping their leadership style and the life of a church. He concludes this section by introducing the concept of polycentric leadership: leaders as apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastor, or teachers.

In the second section, he addresses how leadership imagination shapes a missional culture. He thus argues for a polycentric approach to leadership by stating that this approach best reflects the triune God and his communal nature.

In the third section, he states that Jesus is the archetypical apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, and teacher. From there, he defines each of the archetypes, elaborates on their leadership style, and then asks questions to help the reader discern if he or she is that type of leader.

In the last section, Woodward gets practical and explains how his polycentric leadership model could work in a church. He does this by explaining how a missional culture is developed, the marks of a church, how each archetype cultivates a missional environment, pointers on church structure, and an appeal to polycentric leadership.

In my opinion, the strongest section in this book is his section on cultivating five particular environments that will create a missional culture: learning, healing, welcoming, liberating, and thriving. In a future post on my website, I'll elaborate on how these five environments contribute to the development of mid-size communities in a church.
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Purpose:
 It is intended to be a hands-on manual for implementing vision. The heartbeat of this book is to underscore the centrality of vision in our lives and to support that heartbeat with practical steps and insights in becoming a visionary leader, whatever your stature or position in life might be.

Content:
The author first wrote The Power of Vision.  As he travelled and assisted leaders with their vision, a set of reoccurring questions kept being presented to him.  Below are just some of the questions that he addresses in the book:
Can anyone be a visionary or this the domain of unusually gifted and specially called people?Does vision require targeting a specific people group or demographic segment? Doesnt that conflict with Jesus ministry of reaching out to everybody?Doesnt vision make a ministry too narrow?How do leaders integrate the vision for their corporate ministry (e.g., a church) with the vision for their personal ministry?How do you measure whether the vision has been fulfilled?Does the vision change if a church calls a new pastor?What can be done if a church does not have a visionary pastor?Can a church pursue an effective ministry if it has a sense of mission but does not have an articulated vision?How can a visionary persuade those people who resist the vision to embrace it?What if your personal vision for ministry differs from the vision articulated by your church? Should you stay and adapt, stay and fight, leave with a fuss or leave quietly?How long should you wait before developing a new vision?
Analysis:
This book answers the rubber meets the road questions when you apply the concepts of visioneering.  It addresses the difficult challenges that rise to the surface of your efforts to lead your ministry through the process of accomplishing your God-given mission.  It is a jewel of a book.  While you may not agree with all of his conclusions, it can lead you through your own journey.

Application:
Who will benefit?
Ministry leaders

How will they benefit?
It will help them navigate their way through the application of vision development

Where does it fit in the ministry design process?
At the front end of vision development

Aha Thought:
At its core, vision is a style of thinking, a process of dealing with current and future reality.  It is not, as many people consider, a program waiting to be implemented.
Contrary to my initial beliefs, I have found  through further biblical exploration as well as more prolonged observation  that vision is not dumped in peoples minds by God all at once, but it is progressively revealed to them.  This process of incremental revelation is, in itself, fascinating to study because of what it teaches us about Gods love for, and protection of, us. (p. 13)
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Pastor Troy has a missionary heart, and wants to see churches grow. This book gives counsel that pastors and church leaders are considering.  It's interesting to find this kind of innovation coming from a leader who remains loyal to his denomination.  So many believe that the only way to be cutting edge to is go independent, or non-denominational.  This author shows that it just ain't so.
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In my consulting practice--and in my management workshops--I sometimes hear the protest, "But you don't understand! We're just a small ministry. We couldn't possibly implement the best practices of those much larger organizations."

Hopefully, my response is gracious--but direct. "Is God leading you to be small for the next 10 years? Is your mission about reaching and serving more people, or less people? Do you need a workshop on how to stay small or how to shrink further? Probably not! So what should you do?"

I recommend that organizations create a rolling three-year strategic plan. Build an annual planning cycle that ruthlessly evaluates the last year and then adds one more year onto the rolling three-year forecast. And...face the growth question with courage, time-on-your-knees and outside wisdom. Part of that outside wisdom is looking at the big boys. How did they grow? How do they innovate? How do they build in capacity and sustainability?

One excellent and very unique model is The Salvation Army, the second largest nonprofit charity in the United States (according to the annual Philanthropy 400 list published by the "Chronicle of Philanthropy"). According to their 2009 annual report (now published only online along with a video report), they spent $3.05 billion serving people in 2008. Wow.

They are evangelical Christian in beliefs--yet coalesce wider public involvement and support in meeting human needs. Their crystal clear mission statement (on their website home page) is unequivocal: "The Salvation Army, an international movement, is an evangelical part of the universal Christian Church. Its message is based on the Bible. Its ministry is motivated by the love of God. Its mission is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and to meet human needs in His name without discrimination."

Peter Drucker, the father of modern management, called The Salvation Army "the most effective organization in the U.S." He added, "No one even comes close to it with respect to clarity of mission, ability to innovate, measurable results, dedication, and putting money to maximum use."

Hmmm. They might be worth studying. So let me commend to you this excellent book on "leadership secrets of The Salvation Army." Consider using this book (published in 2001--but maybe even more relevant today) at your next four or five weekly staff meetings. Delegate the reading and reporting on these fascinating chapters to your direct reports:
* The "Business" of The Salvation Army
* Engage the Spirit
* Put People in Your Purpose
* Embody the Brand
* Lead by Listening
* Spread the Responsibility, Share the Profits
* Organize to Improve
* Act with Audacity
* Make Joy Count

Co-author Robert A. Watson served 44 years as a commissioned officer in The Salvation Army, four of those as the national commander, the highest-ranking officer in the U.S.  This is no puff piece--it's an insider's insight on a remarkable organization and very much worth the read.

He writes, "To grow from a start-up to a much larger enterprise, to thrive over the long term without losing either mission focus or creative energy, requires skills that aren't nearly so apparent or crucial when an organization launches. In fact they may be skills that are quite the opposite of those required to get off the ground."

Stay small, shrink or grow? This book will help you grow.