How can well-meaning but sometimes ill-prepared laypeople guide the path of a church body? A leadership expert provides the secret, which lies in offering effective, practical training.

They say it's lonely at the top. And it can be even lonelier when you are almost at the top. Church leaders who hold second-chair positions are under tremendous pressure. They are expected to do their jobs and provide leadership but to defer to the top leader too. It's a demanding balancing act. How can they lead effectively while serving under someone else's leadership? Leading from the Second Chair offers an invaluable resource to leaders who serve in second- (and third- and fourth-) chair roles, enabling them to become more productive, proactive, and fulfilled. The book reveals the paradoxes of second chair leadership. These leaders must be subordinate to the top leader yet lead in their own right. They should be deep in their expertise but wide in perspective. And they must be content in their jobs yet remain enthusiastic about their dreams for the future. Mike Bonem and Roger Patterson share their own and others' experiences of failure and success in this vital role. They offer support and practical advice for reshaping the way second-chair leaders can serve well and improve the overall performance of their church or organization. Leading from the Second Chair equips readers with the positive attitudes, skills, and strategies needed to become powerful leaders who will survive and thrive in God's service.

Who Moved My Pulpit? may not be the exact question you’re asking. But you’re certainly asking questions about change in the church—where it’s coming from, why it’s happening, and how you’re supposed to hang on and follow God through it—even get out ahead of it so your church is faithfully meeting its timeless calling and serving the new opportunities of this age. Based on conversations with thousands of pastors, combined with on-the-ground research from more than 50,000 churches, best-selling author Thom S. Rainer shares an eight-stage roadmap to leading change in your church. Not by changing doctrine. Not by changing biblical foundations. But by changing methodologies and approaches for reaching a rapidly changing culture. You are the pastor. You are the church staff person. You are an elder. You are a deacon. You are a key lay leader in the church. This is the book that will equip you to celebrate and lead change no matter the cost. The time is now.

Why closing the back door of your church is even more important than opening the front door wider. In Sticky Church, author and pastor Larry Osborne offers a time-tested strategy for doing so: sermon-based small groups that dig deeper into the weekend message and tightly velcro members to the ministry. It's a strategy that enabled Osborne's congregation to grow from a handful of people to one of the larger churches in the nation—without any marketing or special programming. Sticky Church tells the inspiring story of North Coast Church's phenomenal growth and offers practical tips for launching your own sermon-based small group ministry. Topics include: Why stickiness is so important Why most of our discipleship models don't work very well Why small groups always make a church more honest and transparent What makes groups grow deeper and sticker over time Sticky Church is an ideal book for church leaders who want to start or retool their small group ministry—and velcro their congregation to the Bible and each other.

Biblical Guidance for Ministering God’s Love in a Sexually Diverse Culture In a time when sexual norms are changing rapidly, how can a local church be a place of grace—a loving community for all kinds of people—where everyone can flourish and disagreements are overcome in a Christlike spirit while at the same time stay true to biblical standards? In a way that appeals to pastors and lay leaders alike, Bruce offers a biblical theology of sexuality and provides practical wisdom for how a church can approach ministering to, and alongside, people who identify their sexuality in diverse ways: LGBTQ+. Here is a church-tested program full of wise pastoral insights to help church leaders think through day-to-day decisions, such as how to handle baby dedications, small groups, who can serve, membership, baptism, retreats, the Lord’s Supper, weddings, funerals, teaching, hiring, and caring for those caught in sin. If you are a leader who is facing any of these challenging issues and decisions, then this practical, grace-filled book is for you.

A Leadership Network Publication In Leading the Team-Based Church, George Cladis issues a clarioncall for ministry teams to embrace a fresh leadership model that isnot based on hierarchy, but on a process of collaboration thatmirrors the relationship of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Hereminds us that today's cultural environment--where authority hasbasis in trust, innovation reaps rewards, and spirituality takesroot in life and work--has matured past the need for the hierarchyof traditional church leadership where the pastor had the finalsay. Through down-to-earth stories from his own experience andthose of clergy in both mainline and evangelical churches, Cladisoffers an exciting alternative to the traditional forms of churchleadership, enabling pastors, congregational leaders, and staff tobreathe new life into their ministries and unleash the fullpotential of the entire ministry team. Cladis, pastor of a fast-growing mainline congregation,demonstrates how cultural changes affecting all ourinstitutions--not just the church--are making it easier to adoptthis new model of leadership. Cladis's practical advice will enableministry teams to work together in ways that both embody theChristian message and call forth the full creativity and love ofthe entire team. "Just when it seems that all that can be said has been said on thesubject of 'teams', just when one has tired of the gumming of thelabel 'team' on everything in sight, along comes perhaps the mostsignificant religious book on teams yet published. Cladisjuxtaposes the theological and cultural context for team-basedministry in a model presentation of what a conversation betweenBible, theology, and culture should look like."--Leonard Sweet,dean, The Theological School and vice president, Drew University