Experiencing LeaderShift: Letting Go of Leadership Heresies

by Don Cousins

Fueled by the drive to be bigger and better, today's church has adopted principles and practices created by the corporate world. The result is a toxic mix of the spiritual and the secular, where success is measured in numbers, and pastors are encouraged to become CEO superstars. In short, the world is infl uencing the church. How do we get back to a biblical foundation for leadership and church development? Trusted and best-selling author Don Cousins will take you on a groundbreaking exploration of what makes a church leader successful. Lead using the gifts God has given you. Fulfi ll your calling to be a leader who equips others for the work of service. Experience God's blessings as you carry out His work, His way.

Genres: Leadership, Christian, Ebooks, Nonfiction

272 pages, Hardcover

First published September 11, 2007

Reviews

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book that puts service and leadership into perspective. Heavy emphasis on Spiritual Gifts.

[Jason Mays · Rating 5 out of 5]

Informative and Encouraging!

What a great and thought provoking read. Insights are biblical and weightlifting when it comes to pressures on leadership. Wonderful read!!

[John Park · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cousins did a good job of making the book very practical and transparent as he shared his ministry experience and insights at Willow Creek Community Church and beyond. His consultation work with various churches and ministry leaders also strengthened the book. The best part I liked about the book is his emphasis of the priesthood of all believers as expressed in the serving of the body of Christ. "After all, equipping the saints for the work of service" is the essence of biblical leadership. (p. 228) Finally, his book brings glory to God when Cousins painted what looks like "being successful in ministry" in the following sentence: "The aim and the result of faithful, fruitful, and fulfilling service is to make God famous." (p. 242).

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed Don Cousin's critical look at leadership as currently practiced in most board-run churches. The author's biblically-based critique presents an interestingly 'new' perspective that gives ample credence to his espoused 'Leadershift'. Couldn't agree more with him on all the things that are wrong with contemporary church leadership - with leadership roles focused on numbers & incomes as the indicators for success, church leadership roles read more like a Wall Street job specification and flies in the face of everything biblical leadership is about.
The concluding part of the book was more a pitch for Don's other 'Leardshift System' resources. This was the only down moment for me whilst reading.

[Mike Morris · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good book on servant based leadership. It is strong on church leadership and organization and it shares many lessons learned from Willow Creek Community Church. I enjoyed the book, and it encouraged me in my role as a pastor. However, in my opinion, the book is a little biased toward service and spiritual gifts at the expense of discipleship. I would encourage people who read this book to also read more about the Reveal study at Willow Creek. Several books have been written from Willow Creek that challenge some of the lessons from this Leadershift book. Check out Move, Reveal, and Follow Me.

[Glenn Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite an insightful book addressing what the author perceives as the adoption of leadership heresies wrongly based on the Bible. The primary context of this book is focused on pastors and church leaders and their false pursuit of leadership paradigms that may work well in the marketplace, but are not necessarily suited to the ministry.

Cousins shares transparently about his own journey ("warts & all") as a one of the co-founding leaders of Willow Creek Association along with Bill Hybels.

[Lee Ann]

We are all just servants of the King, regardless of our titles. The success of our churches depends more on how well we follow Christ and less on the world's definition of leadership. Cousins is excellent at reminding us who is really in charge and what the actual purpose of the church is: Glorifying God and building His kingdom. Great book!

[Ebere Samuel]

The much I have read addressed my concern over several aspects of leadership, eulogized and surprisingly accepted by many Church leaders, but which if you were to look at them from correct biblical perspective, falls flat. Am fascinated, learning...

[April Kelcy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent, point-by-point discussion of how many modern American churches have missed the Biblical mark as to what should be happening in a church body. Very much focused on the need to identify the gifts of the Spirit and empowering the entire congregation -- ministers and lay people alike -- to use them in roles most suited to their actual gifts. Very insightful, and although much is based on actual experiences the author went through, the lessons are for everyone. I would not nomally have cared for the sales pitch at the end, except that it, given the foundation that has been laid, does seem sensible and an appropriate "next step".