false 6 55 28 true 5847000 read 3 true 4413479 currently-reading 24 true 4413478 to-read <![CDATA[Kevin added 'Ten Stupid Things That Keep Churches from Growing: How Leaders Can Overcome Costly Mistakes']]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/79015285 to: Ten Stupid Things That Keep Churches from Growing: How Leaders Can Overcome Costly Mistakes (Hardcover) by Geoff Surratt
]]> <![CDATA[Kevin added 'The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership']]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/61723194 The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership (Hardcover) by John C. Maxwell
]]> <![CDATA[Kevin added 'Church Unique: How Missional Leaders Cast Vision, Capture Culture, and Create Movement']]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/57575924 to: Church Unique: How Missional Leaders Cast Vision, Capture Culture, and Create Movement (J-B Leadership Network Series) by Will Mancini
This is one of the best books I've read on church leadership this decade. It has a great combination of theory and practice. Every church leader should read this book and consider whether or not his or her church has truly discovered its vision. I'm going to read this book again, at least one more time.

The basic concept of the book is that too many churches simply copy what either Rick Warren, Andy Stanley, or Bill Hybels have as their vision of what their church is about and try to apply their vision to their own church. The problem is that each person has a unique blend of giftedness and passions that will drive how they lead the church. What are stated as aspired values and vision may not be the church's actual vision and values.

Do yourself a favor and read this book. It will shape your understanding of how to establish clear vision for church leadership. ]]> <![CDATA[Kevin added 'Flickering Pixels: How Technology Shapes Your Faith']]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/61723159 to: Flickering Pixels: How Technology Shapes Your Faith (Hardcover) by Shane Hipps
The crux of this book is message + method + medium = message. The author doesn't use that formula specifially, but the idea is spread all through the book. Some people will really struggle with the concept that he does outright state: "The medium is the message." I don't really have a problem with this statement, primarily because of Christ's incarnation. ]]> <![CDATA[Kevin added 'How to Win Friends & Influence People']]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/57575813 to: How to Win Friends & Influence People (Paperback) by Dale Carnegie
I was expecting this book to be geared more toward salesman and those interested in self-help books, but what it turned out to be for me was a reminder on what leadership really is: influence. The overall premise of the book is that you should treat others not only as you'd like to be treated, but as if they're actually more important than you are. There were a number of useful ideas, such as:
- Become genuinely interested in other people.
- Remember that a person’s name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language.
- Make the other person feel important-and do it sincerely.
- Let the other person do a great deal of the talking.
- Let the other person feel that the idea is his or hers.
- Begin with praise and honest appreciation.
- Talk about your own mistakes before criticizing the otherperson.
- Praise the slightest improvement and praise every improvement. Be “hearty in your approbation and lavish inyour praise.”

I'd highly suggest this book to almost everyone. ]]> <![CDATA[Kevin added 'Presentation Zen: Simple Ideas on Presentation Design and Delivery']]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/48146500 to: Presentation Zen: Simple Ideas on Presentation Design and Delivery (Voices That Matter) by Garr Reynolds
This is a really helpful book for anyone who gives presentations, speeches, sermons, or anything else using visual media. Garr Reynolds does a nice job of weaving communication and design theory with examples of practical examples of how those theories become realities. Anyone who wants to improve their effective use of PowerPoint or Keynote should read this book. ]]> <![CDATA[Kevin added 'Mad Church Disease: Overcoming the Burnout Epidemic']]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/46211672 to: Mad Church Disease: Overcoming the Burnout Epidemic (Hardcover) by Anne Jackson
While this book is intended for people serving in full-time ministry, the ideas and principles Anne Jackson writes about could be applicable to many different people serving in different fields. In particular, those who are serving as volunteers in strategic positions within a church would benefit from this book.

The main concept that this talks about is the fact that ministry can be hard. Really hard. There's a common belief held that people in church should always be happy and that any problems a Christian would come across in life can be fixed simply by praying more, reading the Bible more, and just trusting God. This idea is applied even more fully to ministers. Anne Jackson debunks this myth. She writes about the real pain that can be caused by real, fallen people. ]]> <![CDATA[Kevin added 'Killing Cockroaches: And Other Scattered Musings on Leadership']]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/48146261 to: Killing Cockroaches: And Other Scattered Musings on Leadership (Paperback) by Tony Morgan
]]> <![CDATA[Kevin added 'Death by Meeting: A Leadership Fable...About Solving the Most Painful Problem in Business']]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/53507779 to: Death by Meeting: A Leadership Fable...About Solving the Most Painful Problem in Business (Hardcover) by Patrick Lencioni
I checked out the audiobook CDs from my library and finished listening to the book in less than a week. Overall it was compelling to listen to. The author's writing style is captivating in that he draws you into the fictional story of a company struggling to cross a threshold.

As far as content goes I'm not certain that I completely agree with his basic premise, that meetings are disliked by most people because they're boring and lack conflict. Maybe I'm getting caught up in semantics, but just because a meeting may have drama, conflict, and interactive brainstorming doesn't mean they will be productive. He compares meetings to movies & television shows, which has some interesting paralells.

His second concept I know he's nailed. That is that many meetings are bad because they lack proper contextualization. They become a stew of varying types of discussions with a wide-range of importance to the organization.

Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone who is involved in a leadership position that requires you to have or facilitate meetings. It will be worth your time. ]]> <![CDATA[Kevin is on page 34 of Point Man: How a Man... ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/52791434 Kevin is on page 34 of 350 of Point Man: How a Man Can Lead His Family ]]>