5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Are You Making God Famous?, July 29, 2008
This review is from: Experiencing LeaderShift: Letting Go of Leadership Heresies (Hardcover)
Some years back, when Don Cousins did a faithfulness/fruitfulness self-assessment, he reluctantly gave himself a two out of nine score. He wrote, "Suddenly I knew: I was about to get pruned." You absolutely must read this book.
Don Cousins sees leadership from one of the most unique perspectives in North America. After 17 years on the staff of Willow Creek Community Church (including the role of associate pastor), he began consulting with other churches and megachurches in 1992.
So with this year's media hubbub about Willow Creek (see the video at RevealNow.com "Bill Hybels Responds to `Willow Creek's Huge Shift'"), you'll miss the whole story--the important story--if you don't also read some of the historical context from Cousins, along with his biblical insight and personal reflections on leadership.
In his book, Cousins thoughtfully attacks leadership heresies and addresses the high price of heresy, the success heresy, the credit heresy and the organizational heresy. His original thinking--steeped in humility and biblical thinking--will get your attention.
A pastor friend borrowed my book this month and preached on the four questions (four F's) from the "The Success Heresy" chapter. Cousins asks: 1) Are you being faithful? 2) Are you bearing fruit? 3) Are you fulfilled? 4) Are you making God famous?
The Results Bucket is one of 20 buckets in my book, Mastering The Management Buckets: 20 Critical Competencies for Leading Your Business or Non-profit. Cousins asks the ultimate results question, "How do you know you're being successful?" What's the measurement in your organization? Are they the right ones? For more help, read Bill Hoyt's book,
Effectiveness by the Numbers: Counting What Counts in the Church.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Real Spiritual Growth, July 10, 2008
This review is from: Experiencing LeaderShift: Letting Go of Leadership Heresies (Hardcover)
Churches in North America have done much in recent years to become more relevant, but many have missed the point. They're chasing numbers, not God and His desire for spiritual transformation. Don refocuses his readers on what "success" in ministry should really look like - both in the life of an individual as well as the church as a whole. The power of God at work in individual's lives is what SHOULD grow a church - not programs and popular techniques. The right kind of growth happens when people identify their unique spiritual gifts, discover their God-given passions and partner with God to make his name famous. Don challenges all church leaders to be equippers of others, so that everyone they lead walks down this path towards transformation.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Leadership Defined Biblically, June 12, 2008
This review is from: Experiencing LeaderShift: Letting Go of Leadership Heresies (Hardcover)
This book runs refreshingly counter to much conventional thinking on leadership within the church. The author shows how the church has bought into worldly definitions of leadership rather than biblical ones. As result, we have exalted the gift of a select few, while downplaying or ignoring the contributions that other gifts can make to the growth and direction of the church. As one who not identify himself as a natural leader, I was encouraged to know that God has a place for me to exercise influence on his church according to my giftedness.
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