LLC Reading List

Learn From Those Who Have Learned home title

2012 LLC Reading List

January

Maestro by Roger Nierenberg.

A deceptively insightful book because it is cast in a brief, story form. I chose it in part because it’s a short, easy ready after the busy Advent season. But, more importantly I chose it because it contains important wisdom for any team leader or organizational head. The story demonstrates a way of leading so as to avoid the trap of being “the boss” who tells people what to do. “Bossing” people, or “directing them” can create distance between the leader and followers with low performance results. It’s better to work in a collaborative way, as much as possible, to avoid the “us” versus “him/her” feeling that bossing causes. Leadership insights emerge as an orchestra conductor embeds the main character, a business leader, in different spots within his orchestra. The conductor explains how he pulls together the whole group into a cohesive whole without force or by demand. Insights emerge in the discussions between the conductor and business leader that help the leader be more effective in his leadership style. A good read for improving one’s skills as a visionary leader and a team builder.

February

Making Friends, Making Disciples by Lee Spitzer

Dr. Lee Spitzer is the executive minister of ABC-New Jersey and a personal friend. He’s an excellent thinker, writer, leader and speaker. And, a committed evangelical. The Region Board was so impressed with Lee when he came out to encourage our board back in May that they asked him to be the keynote speaker for our Biennial Celebration in May 2012. It’s a good book for pastors, a good book for churches. As a church training tool it can help people think about their friendship circles in terms of the importance of friends as fellow travelers in discipleship. Also, helpful for coaching people to identify non-Christian friends within their friendship circles and how they may be reached for Christ.

March

Emotional Intelligence 2.0 by Travis Bradberry and Jean Greaves.

Delivers a step-by-step program for increasing EQ via four, core EQ skills that enable learners to achieve their fullest potential:

1) Self-Awareness 2) Self-Management 3) Social Awareness 4) Relationship Management

The book includes a code at the back for accessing an online test measuring one’s EQ. As you plan to study this book with your LLC, pastors should complete the test in advance and be prepared to reflect on their findings. You will need to give them a heads up.

April

Relational Intelligence by Steve Saccone

This book will reinforce some of the content of Emotional Intelligence 2.0. However, it places more emphasis on the relational, mission and passion of the leader due to the fact that it is written from the perspective of someone in ministry. Steve Saccone is a member of Irwin McManus’s staff (Mosaic in L.A.). Not only does he give good advice for improving our relational skills, there’s much practical input for strengthening our influence among congregational members and attenders.

May

The Apostolic Congregation: Church Growth Reconceived for a New Generation by George Hunter III

Over the last decade or so church growth has become a bad word for some. Much of this decline in reputation stems from lack of understanding of church growth research and application, not to mention the rare example of a dominant CEO type pastor pushing growth for growth’s sake and thereby models the worst in church growth. (Honestly, I’ve encountered very few examples of this stereotype.) This book recovers church growth principles for the 21^st century church and adds additional insights. Consider Nelson Searcy’s glowing recommendation for the book: All the pastors on our staff (The Journey Church in New York City) are reading this book right now. It's the best summary of classic church growth thinking that I've seen in at least a decade. And Professor Hunter is just the guy to do it. He cuts through a lot of what people `think' about church growth to give us the straight forward truth (including the most current research to date). Odd as it is to say, his footnotes are worth the price of the book. Buy the footnotes and you get a no-fluff, all meat church growth handbook thrown in for free. My pen literally ran out of ink as I marked up this book. Every pastor who is serious about church growth and evangelism should read (and mark up) this book.

– Nelson Searcy, Founding Pastor The Journey Church (New York City)

September

15 Characteristics of Effective Pastors by Kevin Mannoia & Larry Walkemeyer, Part One pp. 1-117

This is a well-balanced book with important insight for strengthening the overall spiritual vitality and leadership depth of the pastor. It is based on input from a panel of top clergy coaches. (Including H.B. London, Gordon MacDonald and Jack Hayford.) The book asked the panel to choose the top fifteen qualities that make for an effective pastor. Characteristics include personal integrity, model of holiness, Holy Spirit empowerment, inspired preaching, visionary leadership, and more. I think this will give you much grist for the mill for building character in the pastors over the busy two-month period as the fall gears up without overloading the pastors.

October

15 Characteristics of Effective Pastors by Kevin Mannoia & Larry Walkemeyer, Part Two, pp. 118-238

November

The Externally Focused Quest: Becoming the Best Church FOR the Community, by Eric Swanson & Rick Rusaw – Part One, Chapters 1 through 5

As you may recall The Externally Focused Church was the first book chosen for the LLCs when we launched them back in 2005. Has it really been over six years? Wow. Anyway, this is new material presented with continuing zeal for the church to be out in the world as salt and light. I believe it will help reinforce the importance of churches serving their communities in order to build bridges for the Good News to reach people far from God.

Here’s an intro from Amazon: In The Externally Focused Quest, Eric Swanson and Rick Rusaw show church leaders how to transform their churches from being internally focused to being more oriented to the community around them. They use nine big missional concepts that need to be addressed in the quest to become the best church for the community: focus, purpose, scope, missions, partnering, evangelism, systems, creativity, and outcomes. Understanding and applying the truths of each concept will provide many of the tools leaders need to take their churches on the externally focused quest. Written by the cofounders of the Externally Focused Network, this book presents a highly practical approach that gives step-by-step guidance for churches to become truly externally focused without giving up the programs that serve their members.

December

The Externally Focused Quest: Becoming the Best Church FOR the Community, by Eric Swanson & Rick Rusaw – Part Two, Chapters 6 through 10

2012 Reading List (with prices and notes)

2011 Reading List (with comments)

2010 Reading List (with notes)

2009 Reading List

2009 Reading List Appendix

2008 Reading List