Shepherd Leadership: The Metrics That Really Matter

by Craig T. Owens

In this seminal work for the post-pandemic church, pastor Craig T. Owens offers a picture of a church gone astray, succumbed by the "business" of ministry and forgetting the joy of doing ministry. Rather than being the shepherds Jesus called us to be, church leaders spend too much time in boardroom meetings, checking off meaningless boxes, and imitating worldly business leaders. Owens liberates burned-out pastors and church leaders by reminding them to return to the simple shepherding style of leadership portrayed in the Bible, which leads to our churches and ministries being healthy, energized, effective, sheep-producing, and God-glorifying. He charts out a path for leaders to implement simple changes that will lead to them becoming wholly healthy shepherds.
"Craig Owens has it Jesus appointed church leaders to be shepherds over His precious flocks. The combination of Craig's Biblical understanding, practical insights, and consistent personal practice make Shepherd Leadership a book every pastor should read." -T.M. Moore, Principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe
"In Shepherd Leadership, Craig T. Owens gets to the heart of pastoral ministry and caring about people with great wisdom. Craig delivers practical principles for healthy leadership that allows you the opportunity for freedom as God intended, joy in serving, and ultimately experiencing the full blessing of God." -Dan Reiland, Executive Pastor, 12Stone Church, Lawrenceville, GA

158 pages, Paperback

Published September 28, 2021

Reviews

[Erik Tuttle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't sure what to expect when picking up Owens' book. What I found was a succinct examination of what it takes to humbly and confidently serve people. The writing had accessible and real life examples coupled with biblical principles that should govern how leaders lead.

There is a clear arc throughout the book and it ends similarly to how it begins, by focusing on what true success is and how we measure it. In between there are wonderful nuggets on multiple things that can impact a leader's ability to lead well.

There are a few reasons I didn't grant it 5 stars, but my main principle is that a 5 star book should be flawless. At the conclusion of some chapters I was looking for more; some of topics deserved a bit more meat as it were. Some people may not want a tome on leadership, myself included, but I can't help but feel there was more to say on most of the subjects.

A big highlight for me:
"Only secure people serve. Insecure people think that by serving, people will look down on them or take advantage of them."

Owens' delineation of what it means to serve and what it means to be a servant was enlightening and refreshing. It truly caused to me think deeply about where I fall along that line.

[Dave Pettengill · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a decent read with some helpful insight

[Shari Schlesinger-Bertsch · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is gratifying from beginning to end. It's written with the perfect blend of anecdotal, scriptural, and secular content alongside unpretentiously relatable personal experiences that validate why Craig T. Owens was meant to write this book!

From "Plunger-Man' to 'He chose me,' and everything in between, this book delivers insight, wisdom, and practical application for spiritual growth and humble leadership. Though I am not a ministry leader, and I no longer lead professionally, there is much here to meditate on, and I see myself reading this in part, or whole, over and over again.