Ultimately Responsible

In this book, you will find principles and user-friendly instructions, true stories and specific lessons - what the author learned from seventeen-plus years in the ordained ministry leadership role. You won't have to learn the hard way about how to be ultimately responsible for leaders, volunteers, and their ministries. Here are highlights of what you'll find in the pages ahead, along with true stories: steps to identify and maximize your own leadership strengths and talents for becoming credible and effective - and how to help others around you do likewise; the six essential links in the chain (with a chapter on every one) that a growing, vibrant, contagious church must have - and how to lead, manage and choreograph to set the stage for each; straight talk on trouble shooting issues with staff, leaders and volunteers (and how you can lay the groundwork to prevent such situations in the first place); guidance for how to lead successful change; the recipe for creating an intoxicating church atmosphere of possibility; the definition of "success" - and advice on how to lead and manage towards it. One more word to a certain group of you who do not fit the definition of being "officially," ultimately responsible for your church or ministry - but are convinced that you are unofficially in that role by default or other circumstances. Your situation is unique, and an entire chapter has been dedicated to specific applications for those who serve in that tricky and sometimes uncomfortable situation. A special additional bonus you'll find in the back of this book is a DVD that holds all kinds of practical resources to assist you further: a worksheet for each chapter, with journal or discussion questions to help you (or your team) unpack and apply each topic to your specific setting; examples - of job descriptions, employee handbook, performance goals, training outlines, "discipleship path" ideas and many others; short video stories (each approximately three minutes long) intended to provide you real-life illustrations of the principles you're learning - and to help show and teach your leaders and congregation; a searchable index of the book's and the DVD's contents to help you quickly locate what you need. And here's one more gift: a free three-month subscription to Ginghamsburg's online Transformation Journal, our original daily Bible study guide. Commit to regular time with God every day as you prepare spiritually for the art of ultimate responsibility.Read less