Entrepreneurial Faith: Launching Bold Initiatives to Expand God's Kingdom [Hardcover]

Walt Kallestad (Author), Kirbyjon Caldwell (Author), Paul Sorensen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 20, 2004

Get in step with God’s entrepreneurial spirit.

Two of America’s most influential pastors have drawn up a compelling blueprint to help churches and individuals move out of the sanctuary and into the community. Kirbyjon Caldwell and Walt Kallestad explain how to create innovative partnerships that join the church’s passion for ministry with the expertise of the business community to meet physical and spiritual needs.

Through biblical teaching and case studies from churches of various sizes and in a variety of locales, the authors show that the life of faith is an adventure of risk-taking in ministry. Entrepreneurial Faith challenges pastors, lay leaders, and individual Christians to invest their skill and passion in practical expressions of ministry. The same principles provide a new avenue for community-minded professionals to partner with churches to bring needed services to the community.

With this book as a guide, you can stop being a spectator and start putting your faith to work by diving into the adventure of entrepreneurial ministry. Right now, right where you are, you can make a needed difference in a needy world.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Caldwell and Kallestad want church leaders to transcend "status-quo ministry," and they bring considerable credibility to that call. Each is pastor of an innovative church—Caldwell's largely African-American congregation, Windsor Village United Methodist Church, has made its Houston neighborhood a hub of economic development, and Kallestad's largely white Community Church of Joy has pioneered outreach to the "unchurched" in suburban Phoenix. The idea of entrepreneurship, they concede, is often associated with money-fixated "wheeler-dealers," but they argue that its true meaning lies in finding opportunities and taking risks for the sake of a vision that others haven't yet seen. Caldwell and Kallestad sprinkle in stories of their own successes and setbacks as they parse the definition of entrepreneurial faith in 23 short chapters. As with many business books, the core concepts are simple enough that the authors end up repeating themselves, but their unflagging enthusiasm will keep most readers going. Four appendices demonstrate how Kallestad's church created a business plan for a new ministry initiative, balancing the inspiration with some vital nuts and bolts. At a time when many churches are seeking to make a difference in their communities, Caldwell and Kallestad provide a model of how to dream big and do the hard work to make those dreams come true.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

“Kirbyjon Caldwell and Walt Kallestad are two of the most creative and entrepreneurial pastors in America. If you want to learn the secrets of entrepreneurial faith, these are the men to model yourself after. Their passion is inspiring, their faith is irresistible, and their advice is practical.”
–Rick Warren, founding pastor of Saddleback Church and best-selling author of The Purpose Driven Life

“Entrepreneurial Faith is synergy at its best. Caldwell and Kallestad’s work takes Who Moved My Cheese out of the maze by helping you not only understand change, but lead it. Read it!”
–Ken Blanchard, co-author of The One Minute Manager® and The Servant Leader

“Entrepreneurial Faith shows you how to join God in innovative and effective ministry. If you’ve seen enough of status quo spirituality, use this guidebook to begin following the Great Entrepreneur.”
–Laurie Beth Jones, best-selling author of Jesus CEO, Teach Your Team to Fish, and Jesus, Entrepreneur

“When you have faith in a big God, your life is full of exciting possibilities. Entrepreneurial Faith gives you the vision to see what God is doing in your community, and then supplies the direction you need to get involved in meeting real needs in exciting and unexpected ways.”
–Dr. Robert H. Schuller, best-selling author, senior pastor of the Crystal Cathedral, host of The Hour of Power

“The philosophies and programs of many churches lag far behind the fast-changing communities in which they reside. If God’s kingdom is to expand, entrepreneurial faith is required. Leaders need the humble ability to follow and trust a big God into uncharted waters so that value can be added to surrounding communities.”
–Tom Steffen, co-author of Great Commission Companies

“Entrepreneurial Faith tracks the profound shift from a ‘traditional’ to a ‘managerial’ and now to an ‘entrepreneurial’ approach that is changing the face of American Christianity. Passionate and inspirational, but also specific and actionable.” 
 –Bob Buford, chairman and founder of Leadership Network and author of Halftime: Changing Your Game Plan from Success to Significance 

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: WaterBrook Press (July 20, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1578568374
• ISBN-13: 978-1578568376
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #894,854 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Needs more faith, less business, October 6, 2004

By 

Rebecca Barnes "Editor, ChurchCentral.com" (Louisville, Ky.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Entrepreneurial Faith: Launching Bold Initiatives to Expand God's Kingdom (Hardcover)

Bits and pieces of the stories of the successes of Caldwell and Kallestad are sprinkled sparingly between aphorisms and simplistic, well-worn advice such as "persuade; don't badger," and "turn failure forward."

The authors also simplify both theology and history to fit their premise. They assert that Jesus was an entrepreneur. They claim in chapter nine that entrepreneurial spirit brought about the fall of the Soviet Union and rebuilt East Germany after the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Their statement that entrepreneurs drive the U.S. economy holds more water, but even that is a simplistic view of another complex situation, and hardly what I was expecting from someone as well educated as Caldwell, who holds an MBA from Wharton in addition to his ministerial credentials.

But business books tend to over simplify things, too. And this book seemed intent on finding a spot in between other business bestsellers that offer pithy advice.

It also offers sample strategic plans and funding proposals as tools for would-be entrepreneurs. But that's it.

This book contains no earth-shattering revelations about entrepreneurs or faith. Neither are there great spiritual insights about ministry. The most memorable checklist was a test of godly vision in chapter 12, which provides six tests to determine if a vision is "a dream or a scheme." It wasn't necessarily scriptural, but seemed solid.

Other suggestions didn't even make sense. A section in chapter seven told entrepreneurs that while their schedule may consume all 168 hours a week, it is important to maintain equilibrium. That ill-conceived paragraph is tempered by other sections that explain in detail how to discern God's will by spending consistent time with God. And Callestad did offer a testimony of his lengthy prayer time in a subsequent chapter. That was encouraging.

Even so, I was expecting more about reliance on God, prayer and miracles. Without that "Entrepreneurial Faith" is really saying that the church needs more entrepreneurs, rather than more faith.

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see"(Heb. 11:1). Entrepreneurialism is the subject of bestselling books.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent choice for faith based biz ppl, January 3, 2008

By 

L. Washington "trust me" (Glendale, AZ United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Entrepreneurial Faith: Launching Bold Initiatives to Expand God's Kingdom (Hardcover)

This book gives excellent advice to any believer wanting to start a business whether if be faith based or not. The three pastors in this book all speak from experience and have healthy churches and businesses to back them. If you get the chance to read this book you'll highlight your life away and want to read it more than once. it has helped me dramatically and I highly recommend it.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Book! Much Needed!, April 13, 2007

By 

D. Crumbly "P D Crumbly" (Rome Georgia) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Entrepreneurial Faith: Launching Bold Initiatives to Expand God's Kingdom (Hardcover)

Kirbyjon Caldwell and Walt Kallestad have written one of the best books on the subject of expanding the Kingdom of God. Every pastor/leader should read this one.