Images of leadership

"Some sociologists describe this generation as EPIC: Experiential, Participatory, Image-driven and Connected. If that's true, I believe we'll get the most out of resources that give us an image, an experience, and a way to connect with each other." (i)

"The iceberg is a great picture of leadership because so much of our influence comes from qualities we can't see on the outside. It's stuff below the surface. I extimate 90% of our leadership is made up from our character." (1)Leaders are often gifted. They can bein to depend on their gift for success, to the neglect of their character. Leaders sabotage themselves when their gift is bigger than they are." (21)God has given many people large gifts, talents, or abilities. "However, when these people lean on the gifts God gave them and don't mature emotionally or spiritually--they may ruin their chance to use the gift as God designed." (21)
"The solution is not to do away with talent; it is to give attendtion to develop our discipline and personality. Our inward character is the infrastructure that holds us up throughour lives. And ou can't 'wing it' in character building. I believe the greater the size of your gifts, the more time you must dedicate to developing character." (22)
The laptop is a metaphor for our mind. It stores up what you put in -- the stuff you see, and read, and talk about. It processes what is put in. Garbage in, Garbage out. Leaders must be disciplined about what they invest in their minds and hearts. (25)
It doesn't matter whether you think you are mature or not. What matters is what you feed your mind. "You will become what you are becoming right now." (26)
The work of Christ always begins in our heart and moves outward. The revolution of character changes people through an ongoing personal relationship with God and one another. It changes people’s ideas, beliefs, feelings, and habits as well as their bodily tendencies and social relations. (12,14)
To the degree spiritual formation in Christ is successful, the outer life of the individual becomes a natural expression of the character and teachings of Jesus.” (16)


The Starving Baker represents the person who is so busy feeding others that he neglects feeding himself. Sometimes leaders put so much into the people they lead that they fail to nourish their own lives. "Their 'talk' is great. Their 'walk' becomes fake." "They are spiritually starving…so close to food, yet never eating." "The Starving Baker reminds us that leaders must feed themselves before feeding others." (5)
Some people lead as a way to meet their own needs. "Their emotional tank is empty and they need the people to fill them up." "If you need people for this, you cannot lead them well. Your perspective will be skewed by your own needs rather than what is best for you organization or team. Leaders must make sure their emotional tank is full before they lead others. Never lead out of need." (34)
The Thermostat. "People are either thermometers or thermostats. They will merely reflect the climate around them, or they will set it. Leaders develop values and principles to live by and set the tone for others." (13)
The Fun House Mirror. "Sometimes leaders don't…possess a realistic view of who they are." (17) "I believe each of us carries around four images of ourselves. … The outer layer represents the image others have of us. The next layer represents the image we project to others. The third layer represents the image we have of ourselves. Finally, the fourth [innermost] layer represents the truth about who we really are. It is God's image of us." (19)
Self-Image. "You cannot consistently perform in a manner that is inconsistent with the way you see yourself." "You wil usually perform at a level that reflects your perspective of yourself." (10)


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Windows of opportunity are often blown open and closed again like windows in a storm. You have to be ready to grasp them.” (82)
The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and if they don’t find them, they create them.” (91, quoting George Bernard Shaw)
The Half-Hearted Kamikaze flew 66 missions. A true camikaze pilot only flies one mission. Leaders are more than involved: they are committed. The pig and the chicken provided a ham and egg breakfast for the farmer. But for the pig it was total commitment! (45)
"Nearly every great leader in history accomplished something memorable because of a narrow focus, and a great commitment to a cause." (46)
"Your commitment will mean something when you act on it for an extended period of time." (47)

Thom Rainer is president of LifeWay Christian Resources and a well known church consultant and author of books about church. Eric Geiger is the executive pastor of Christ Fellowship near Miami. The authors advocate a focused and streamlined way to do church that deliberately moves people through a discipleship process.

This has been quite a popular book recently among church leaders. As one pastor told me, "You wouldn't want to follow this book in every detail but it has some very good concepts."

"To have a simple church, you must design a simple discipleship process. This process must be clear. It must move people toward maturity. It must be integrated fully into your church, and you must get rid of the clutter around it." (26)

Key words for the book are clarity, movement, alignment, and focus. Church leaders need to simplify. (3-4)

"Simple is in. Complexity is out. …people are hungry for simple because the world has become much more complex." (8) [I was amused
At Papa John's we have a simple formula for success: Focus on one thing and try to do it better than anyone else." (from Papa John's web site, 11)

The authors' research, according to surveys, showed vibrant churches were much simpler. In general, simple churches are growing and vibrant. Being consumed with the call to make disciples, they have designed and implemented a simple process to reach and mature people. (13-15)

Some churches have "ministry schizophrenia." They are not sure of their identity. Ministries are disjointed and frantic. Programs move in multiple directions. This may happen when blending multiple church models. (21)

"Simple church leaders…design opportunities for spiritual growth. Complex church leaders…run ministry programs." "To have a simple church, you must design a simple discipleship process. This process must be clear. It must move people toward maturity. It must be integrated fully into your church, and you must get rid of the clutter around it." (26) [This is a summary statement of the book. dlm]

Instead of vision, mission, values, and strategy statements, have just one statement. "Cross Church is all about 'loving God, loving people, and serving the world.' Simple." (37) [Wheaton Bible Church recently developed a very similar mission statement: "Love God; Grow Together; Reach the World." In my view this is an excellent mission statement, in part because it makes our global scope very clear. dlm]

Discuss this statement frequently in staff meeting, lay meetings, and worship services. Post it ubiquitously. (40)

Programs are tools to move people toward spiritual maturity, not ends in themselves. (42)

"At Cross Church, there are three main programs. One for each phase in their process. They are placed strategically and sequentially along their process. The goal is to move people from program to program so people naturally progress through the process of spiritual transformation. People who attend worship services are encouraged to move to a small group. People in small groups are challenged to serve on a team." (44)
Cross Church evaluates how many people are at the love God stage (worship service), the love others stage (small groups), and the serve the world stage (ministry teams)." (47)

"There are no special events on the calendar. Instead, they choose to meet the needs through their ministry process…their existing programs." (49)

Recruit new staff members who have the same philosophy, people who fit, not stars with different philosophies and approaches. (51)

Redesign your church to be centered on a spiritual growth process. Make it simple, with each step or program conducive to spiritual growth. Abandon everything else. Make complexity unwelcome. (59-61)

Definition: "A simple church is a congregation designed around a straight-forward and strategic process that moves people through the stages of spiritual growth. The leadership and the church are clear about the process (clarity) and are committed to executing it. The process flows logically (movement) and is implemented in each area of the church (alignment). The church abandons everything that is not in the process (focus)." (67-8)

"Clarity is the ability of the process to be communicated and understood by the people." (70)

"Movement is the sequential steps in the process that cause people to move to greater areas of commitment." This is the most difficult part. (72)

"Alignment is the arrangement of all ministries and staff around the same simple process. Alignment to the process means that all ministry departments submit and attach themselves to the same overarching process." (74)

"Without alignment, the church can be a multitude of sub ministries. In this case each ministry has its own leaders who are only passionate about their specific ministry." (75)

"Focus is the commitment to abandon everything that falls outside of the simple ministry process. Focus most often means saying 'no.' Focus requires saying 'yes' to the best and 'no' to everything else." (76) "Focus is the element that gives power and energy…." (77)

"If you want the necessary to stand out, you have to get rid of the unnecessary." (80)

The serving teams do ministry together in the community or in the church. (88)

"Everyone uses the same terminology. Connect. Grow. Serve. Simple. It is woven into every part of the church. The people in the congregation hear it all the time." (90)

Ministry naturally drifts toward complexity and complexity dilutes your potential for impact. (99)
Five keys to clarity:
1. Define your ministry process. This is your strategy. To do this, clarify what kind of disciple you wish to produce. Describe this in process terms, i.e. sequential order. Decide how each weekly program contributes to the process.
2. Illustrate the process visually by a metaphor showing progression.
3. Measure your progress - attendance in each stage. If you don't, people will think it doesn't matter.
4. Discuss it frequently to keep it before your leaders and your people. Weave it into the fabric of the church.
5. Increase understanding by continually articulating the process. (111-132)

Unity is powerful. "Alignment is the arrangement of all ministries and staff around the same simple process." The church and the team must be aligned to the same purpose and the same process. (168)

"If you want to maximize everyone's energy, you must recruit on the process, offer accountability, implement the same process everywhere, unite leaders around the process, and ensure that new ministries fit." (169)

"People follow leadership, and if leadership is not moving in the same direction, then people are scattered." (169)

With ministry action plans, each staff member sets their own goals - five to seven measurable goals - based on the direction of the organization. Throughout the year the goals are evaluated. (177-78)
Focus means saying no to almost everything. And it is difficult. Eliminate programs that don't fit the process. Expect some will be offended. Limit what you add. When you feel compelled to meet a need, attempt to do it through your existing programs. Offer options within the current programs rather than adding programs. Avoid asking people to come to more programs. Reduce special events. (197-215) "Great organizations are focused. They are good at saying no." (225)

Summary steps: (236-240)
1. "Design a simple process (clarity)"
2. "Place your key programs along the process (movement)"
3. "Unite all ministries around the process (alignment)"
4. "Begin to eliminate things outside the process (focus)"


The sheep and goats judgment in Matthew 25:31 says our destiny is determined by our treatment of people in need. (87)The followers of Jesus are…taught to pray for this kingdom to come, to seek the kingdom above all else, to tell people it's at hand and to bring it near to people.