Inside the Pages Book Review — Direct Hit: Aiming Real Leaders at the Mission Field

Review by: Barbara Flory, West Michigan Conference Director of New Church Development

Would the real pastor/leader please stand up?

Do you remember that television show called What’s My Line? A panel of experts would ask clever questions and based on the responses given by the guests the panel would determine what the vocation of the person was. What questions would you ask to help you decide if a person were a pastor?

After reading Direct Hit by Paul Borden you would be better equipped for that challenge. Just one word is the essential descriptor of a pastor: Leader.

Unfortunately, most pastors don’t view themselves as the leader of the congregation and most congregations don’t view the pastor as their leader.

Spiritual leader? Maybe.

Chaplain? For sure.

But the visionary strategic leader? Not so much.

This misunderstanding of the pastor’s role is what stands between most churches and the growth they desire.

This insightful book begins with a description of the role of a pastor and then leads us through the necessary steps of systemic change.

A major assumption of the book is that “congregations are created by God to be God’s primary tool for making individual disciples and for changing entire communities.”

Borden provides a concise outline of the priorities of a pastor during the 3-5 years that must be spent preparing a congregation for systemic change.

Many pastors fail to lead change in their congregation because they don’t understand the time needed for the project and they lack patience. Many others fail because when the preparation is completed they lack the courage to make decisive moves forward.

In most of our congregations, which are on the downside of their life cycle, a pastor cannot lead systemic change alone. An outside consultant with a breadth of experience will be needed to help the pastor and the congregation to face the reality of the situation.

Borden walks through the entire process of preparing a congregation for systemic change and then leading it through that.

Then Borden puts the cherry on the cake by describing the brand new world the pastor and congregation will live in as a result of the process. In Borden’s mind the pastor’s primary responsibility is to lead, as chaplaincy fades away.

The congregation finds it has a great future ahead, filled with young families, new disciples and new ministries. Borden writes with clarity and a passion for the church that is contagious.

Do yourself a favor — get yourself a copy of this one.

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Inside the Pages Book Review — Hit the Bullseye: How Denominations Can Aim the Congregation at the Mission Field

Hit the Bullseye: How Denominations Can Aim the Congregation at the Mission Field, by Paul Borden (Abingdon Press, 2003)

Review by: Benton Heisler, West Michigan Director of Connectional Ministries

Paul Borden, the executive minister of the American Baptist Churches of the West denomination, has written an insightful book that challenges other denominations to assess their current direction and intentionally make changes. He emphasizes the importance of a clear alignment between tactics, strategies and foundational principles.

He would challenge us to have our efforts match our mission of “making disciples to transform the world” as we identify that “the local congregation is the most significant arena for making disciples.”

He emphasizes healthy congregations are growing and they grow by making new disciples and creating new congregations. The reader is reminded in multiple ways that, “We measure what matters!” We must take seriously the concept of success as a result to be measured. Congregations are expected to measure up and be evaluated.

A primary ingredient is leadership.

He asserts that two metaphors that hinder are the “pastor as shepherd” and the “church as family.”

The leader should equip others to provide the care for sheep. The proper term would be “congregational care,” not “pastoral care.”

The church’s primary purpose is not to be family. It is to be on a constant mission/purpose of seeking souls for Christ. True community comes together to care for one another as the community accomplishes a purpose.

Accountability is a basic requirement for change and must be based upon objective measurements. Changed expectations demand resources to reach expectations. Training and resources are essential along with mentoring programs.

Small and large is not the defining criteria – healthy is!! We must take the Great Commission seriously enough to enforce mutual accountability for our behaviors.

Key for the judicatory is, “What is best to accomplish the mission, not preserve the institution. It must be willing to address those who are unable or unwilling to make the changes or worked against them.”

Healthy congregational thinking means that one leads by attraction, not compulsion. You attract people to your significant mission and compelling vision.

Borden would encourage us to discard the shepherd role, stop conflict mediation, stop honoring unfruitful behavior; and honor those open to change, who take leadership seriously, are willing to be held accountable and are committed to helping other congregations.

Borden goes into great detail explaining the importance of the alignment of: Responsibility, Authority, Accountability, Results and Resources of Support.

He reviews the extensive process that yields the five key components of: Learning, Coaching, Consulting, Laity training and Follow-up — all working in accordance.

This is an excellent 140-page book that will help leaders chart new directions.

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Inside the Pages Book Review — Take the Next Step: Leading Lasting Change in the Church

Take the Next Step: Leading Lasting Change in the Church, by Lovett H. Weems, Jr. (Abingdon Press, 2003)

Review by: Jerry Devine, Detroit Conference Director of Connectional Ministries

After five years as a ministry consultant followed by five as district superintendent, I have heard many clergy say, “If only I were appointed to a church that was ready to change, I could _____!” (You can fill in the blank, but it usually has something to do with vitality, growth and fulfillment.)

Having served in several local church appointments as a pastor, I would agree that some parishes are more ready to embrace change than others.

However, I have almost never found a setting where no change is possible. With God all things are possible. How we identify and bring about needful change may be the issue.

In Take the Next Step: Leading Lasting Change in the Church, Dr. Lovett Weems, Jr. takes on the dynamics of change in a manner that makes it accessible for any size church.

He helps to demythologize the dynamics of change that can so often lead to polarization and demonization among church leaders. By looking at congregations as cultural communities and family systems he identifies the factors that will influence how positive change can be approached. While radical change is sometimes called for, in most local churches the methodology that will work best will be more “evolutionary than revolutionary,” Weems suggests.

Because we are an itinerant, appointive, and connectional system, addressing issues of change requires the building of trust. That is not the same as building consensus.

Caring for the basics of relationship provides a foundation for naming, defining and reframing reality.

Weems lays this out as the precursor of beginning a visioning process. Learning the essential art of asking questions to invite insight is vital as one infuses accurate information into faulty assumptions.

New insight becomes a base for considering vision and direction. It moves into an accurate picture of the present without losing aspects of the past.

Weems writes very clearly for clergy and lay leadership whose responsibility it is to guide their congregations into considering where God is moving them. His approach is non-threatening yet clearly aware that we cannot assume that our present reality is where God intends us to remain.

He reminds the reader that in order to seek vision and the subsequent change required for fulfilling that vision, one must also understand the “phases of thriving and declining organizations”.

He also helps make visioning a more practical “looking for clues” rather than the abstract approaches that have often been used. This allows a more natural discernment, and builds a bridge between past and future.

It is an easy read with pithy quotes. Even if not used as a guide for your visioning process, it can be an instrument of study and holy conferencing among your leaders as you seek regeneration.

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