LeadershipNext -- 3
Eddie Gibbs' recent book, LeadershipNext (InterVarsity Press, 2005) is a great tool for church leaders who are trying to get their bearings in this era of rapid flux (and mounting fluff!). I think that it is so helpful that I am blogging through it, picking out quotes, summarizing, and making a few comments. My first post on the book can be found here, and the second here. This is #3.

CHAPTER 2 -- WHY LEADERSHIP STYLES MUST CHANGE

+ "The church is no longer one of the central institutions that shapes values and meets the social, emotional and spiritual needs of the Western world. It has ceased to provide the primary reference point of identity for people..." (47)

+ Given the level of fragmentation "bottom-up, innovative initiatives have the potential to gain momentum and successfully reproduce, whereas directives that filter through the decision-making process of ponderous church bureaucracies mostly run out of steam. A one-size-fits-all approach does not work in a highly diversified environment. Consequently, senior church leaders must learn to operate as permission-givers as well as initiative-takers while at the same time requiring a high level of accountability."

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