Customer Reviews

Revolutionary Leadership

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I think this is an excellent book, but being so thin its easy to speed read and miss some of Tri's wisdom. It could probably have been three times the size. For any church leader looking for practical answers in structuring and envisioning a church without resorting to importing programmes that have proven to work elsewhere this is the book for you. My advice woul be to read it slowly and then read it again - its a great book for leaders looking for more insight.

Having been mentored by Tri Robinson at the Vineyard Boise, his leadership principles became `normal' in my life. I had stopped thinking about it and just did it as it was engrained into my life....

Yet as I traveled around the country and talked to different pastors and leaders, I slowly begun to realize that the way I did things, nay, the leadership structure I caught from Tri was different... and, even more amazing, it was a structure that allowed for the shifts in church life promoted by folks in the emerging and missional church.

Having noticed this difference, and having fairly recently become a senior pastor, I decided to go back and re-read Tri's book leadership book, "Revolutionary Leadership." In doing so I realized the main differences in Tri's leadership structure:

"I realized that the church is truly a living body that wants to mature, but in order to do so it must be in a constant state of change. I learned that healthy church growth requires a structure that will continually facilitate transition. It requires a senior pastor who is willing to continually facilitate transition. It requires a senior pastor who is willing to give up the controlling entrepreneurial spirit and give away authority and responsibility to competent, willing people."

As you have probably realized, the above principle of creating a church structure to "continually facilitate transition" is a tough one. Yet it is one that I believe can be implanted into a church through an ongoing Synergy Cycle comprising of three main principles:

A vision is cast based upon what God is doing, the culture of the church develops around that vision or invitation to join with God in His mission, and then structure is developed to support and foster the culture and vision God gave to that church.... then repeat the cycle as the body changes and shifts according to the guidance of our Lord.

As you follow this cycle, it is very important to continue to go in the order given: vision => culture =>structure. Going the other way - vision then structure - will result in church programs, offices, doctrines and whatnot that are forced upon the church body and propped up by the church leadership. In a nutshell, going backwards can cause a human driven church instead of a Holy Spirit driven church.

I could go on as this book is packed with practical as well as theological principles...but I will let you all read it for yourself. ;)