Drawing on a metaphor from Mark Twain's Life on the Mississippi, Robert Dale claims that religious leaders must know, as never before, the "shape of the river" of religious and social change. Change, he argues, is the primary context in which Christian ministry now takes place. Pastors and other congregational leaders must embody the timeless values of the Christian message, yet do so in ways that are constantly flexible and open to revision. Fundamental to religious leaders in this new era will be adaptability rooted in character. Leadership for a Changing Church will enable readers to look...

This comprehensive problem-solving reference for pastors provides theological foundations and experience-tested techniques for effective clergy leadership.

Robert D. Dale offers insight into the dynamics of clergy management by placing leadership into a congregational context and stressing servanthood as the primary biblical leadership image. Following a discussion of the three critical dimensions of organizational effectiveness, Dale explores and critiques the four basic leadership styles: catalyst, commander, encourager, and hermit. Out of this background exploration, Dale...

Jesus was uniquely adept in the art of "reading" people. He fit his approach to the precise needs and interests of the person with whom he was dealing, and he spoke the cultural language of that individual. In this book, Robert Perry takes what Jesus and others have done intuitively-niche marketing-and provides a framework for applying those principles in everyday practice. Convinced that congregations can learn from the wisdom of secular disciplines and apply that wisdom to congregational life without damaging the integrity of the Christian faith, Perry offers a detailed process for using...

Church leaders want to know that their leadership strategies are informed by Christian teaching and made credible by the authority of Scripture. In addition, pastors have an unquenchable thirst for new and unique approaches to leadership. These needs and many more are met as Robert Dale takes the reader through four primary leadership strategies in the New Testament. Focus is a strategy that one learns through study of Jesus' mission and leadership influence. Flexibility is the strategy learned as the Church expands through the Acts of the Apostles. Future-Orientation is the strategy...