Leading the Team-Based Church: How Pastors and Church Staffs Can Grow Together Into a Powerful Fellowship of Leaders a Leadership Network Publication Contributor(s): Cladis, George (Author) |
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ISBN: 0787941190 ISBN-13: 9780787941192 Publisher: Jossey-Bass OUR PRICE: $32.40 Product Type: Hardcover Published: May 1999 Annotation: Few responsibilities bedevil church leaders like that of managing a church staff. Faced with staff tension, rivalry, and dramatically high turnover rates, leaders often discover that the reality of day-to-day life in the church office bears little resemblance to their preconceptions regarding how a church should operate. Concerned that fallout from conflict might soon seep into a thriving congregation, church leaders begin searching for solutions that will help them revitalize their staff and ultimately invigorate their congregation. Seeking guidance, they look to themselves, and to God, for answers-answers that can be found embedded in the essence of Christian theology. In Leading the Team-Based Church, George Cladis issues a clarion call for ministry teams to embrace a fresh leadership model that is not based on hierarchy, but on a process of collaboration that mirrors the relationship of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He reminds us that today's cultural environment-where authority has basis in trust, innovation reaps rewards, and spirituality takes root in life and work-has matured past the need for the hierarchy of traditional church leadership where the pastor had the final say. Through down-to-earth stories from his own experience and those of clergy in both mainline and evangelical churches, Cladis offers an exciting alternative to the traditional forms of church leadership, enabling pastors, congregational leaders, and staff to breathe new life into their ministries and unleash the full potential of the entire ministry team. Cladis, pastor of a fast-growing mainline congregation, demonstrates how cultural changes affecting all our institutions-not just the church-aremaking it easier to adopt this new model of leadership. Even the business world, Cladis argues, has created a modern workplace that parallels Trinitarian theology. Is it any secret that the most successful corporations have been built through the creation of dynamic teams that recognize the unique gifts of their employees, cultivate collaboration, mutual respect, empowerment, and are fueled by a common goal? Cladis's practical advice will enable ministry teams to work together in ways that both embody the Christian message and call forth the full creativity and love of the entire team. Showing how various innovators in organization and business reform are embodying key theological principles in their work, Cladis identifies seven of these principles that can give a spiritual dimension to team formation. He gives church leaders the tools to create empowered and dynamic leadership teams that From this theological model, ministry teams can derive practical ways to lead effective congregations, build vibrant ministries, and serve as a catalyst for spiritual renewal intoday's world. "Just when it seems that all that can be said has been said on the subject of 'teams', just when one has tired of the gumming of the label 'team' on everything in sight, along comes perhaps the most significant religious book on teams yet published. Cladis juxtaposes the theological and cultural context for team-based ministry in a model presentation of what a conversation between Bible, theology, and culture should look like." "I really like the way [Cladis] ties the Trinity to teams. His unique approach-explaining the role of teams through the eyes of the Holy Trinity-offers a new way of understanding how teams can function in the church." "Books on leadership tend to run off the road into either the ditch of theory-heavy counsel or the ditch of practice-only ideas. George Cladis avoids both. He stays on the road because he has built successful church leadership teams and he has studied church leadership theory. For him, team leadership is the key to a faithful church."
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Additional Information |
BISAC Categories: - Religion | Institutions & Organizations - Religion | Christian Ministry - Pastoral Resources - Religion | Leadership |
Dewey: 253 |
LCCN: 98040264 |
Series: Jossey-Bass Leadership Network |
Physical Information: 0.84" H x 6.19" W x 9.32" (0.88 lbs) 208 pages |
Themes: - Theometrics - Mainline - Religious Orientation - Christian |
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
Publisher Description: A Leadership Network Publication In Leading the Team-Based Church, George Cladis issues a clarioncall for ministry teams to embrace a fresh leadership model that isnot based on hierarchy, but on a process of collaboration thatmirrors the relationship of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Hereminds us that today's cultural environment--where authority hasbasis in trust, innovation reaps rewards, and spirituality takesroot in life and work--has matured past the need for the hierarchyof traditional church leadership where the pastor had the finalsay. Through down-to-earth stories from his own experience andthose of clergy in both mainline and evangelical churches, Cladisoffers an exciting alternative to the traditional forms of churchleadership, enabling pastors, congregational leaders, and staff tobreathe new life into their ministries and unleash the fullpotential of the entire ministry team. Cladis, pastor of a fast-growing mainline congregation, demonstrates how cultural changes affecting all ourinstitutions--not just the church--are making it easier to adoptthis new model of leadership. Cladis's practical advice will enableministry teams to work together in ways that both embody theChristian message and call forth the full creativity and love ofthe entire team. Just when it seems that all that can be said has been said on thesubject of 'teams', just when one has tired of the gumming of thelabel 'team' on everything in sight, along comes perhaps the mostsignificant religious book on teams yet published. Cladisjuxtaposes the theological and cultural context for team-basedministry in a model presentation of what a conversation betweenBible, theology, and culture should look like.--Leonard Sweet, dean, The Theological School and vice president, Drew University |