Synopsis
Bill Easum and Dave Travis present their readers with modern successes of innovative church leadership with the hope to inspire, instruct, and motivate the multiplication of Christ’s church. Churches driven to fulfill the Great Commission using “out of the box” methods are spotlighted as models on which to gain new perspectives and ideas. Team-driven leadership, which involves the entire congregation, and the development of a multi-site, globally focused congregation, is highlighted as the path toward true growth. In chapter one, the authors make a strong case for the development of a team based leadership model, insisting that growth is often limited by an unwillingness on the part of some leaders to give up “heroic” control or influence. Emphasis is put on multiplying a leader’s abilities through delegation to a team approach. Reluctance to be removed from the limelight prevents many senior pastors or worship leaders from benefiting from the growth of multiplication, according to this study. The next chapter challenges church leaders to develop a “culture of equipping.” The authors teach that the church vernacular must change from titles such as “staff” or “volunteer” to “servant,” “leader,” and “team member.”
The mark of biblical leadership in this culture is seen when one reproduces himself and sends them out, rather than merely drawing people in and keeping them. This is more about multiplication rather than mere addition. “Together we can do more.” This statement summarizes the author’s premise in part two of this book. Developing a kingdom ministry mindset where leaders think more about how all the local churches can impact their surrounding community is strongly encouraged. This apposed to adopting the “inside-the-box” tendency of most leaders who spend the majority of their time thinking about what happens in their own body on a Sunday morning. Removing the competitive spirit and replacing it with a spirit of cooperation in accomplishing a common goal is essential to fulfilling the Great Commission.
Chapter four broadens this same concept further by promoting the use of multiple locations for a local body to increase involvement and speed-up the reproduction process. Pastors are challenged to move from being the primary teacher to taking on the role of an apostle who is more concerned with overseeing and encouraging multiple sites. Various approaches using multiple sites are presented for consideration, but the principle of a kingdom ministry remains the common denominator in each of the various applications.
The authors also promote a kingdom ministry mindset through church planting. Not just any church, but one that continues to carry the vision for reproducing itself by planting other kingdom focused congregations. The goal of this model is not building the largest church in the area, but on “churching” the area through many various local bodies that can adapt to the ever-changing needs of their community. Several churches successfully implementing their own church-planting multiplication movements are highlighted as models for ministry.
Evaluation
Much of the analysis and information presented in this work is valuable and helpful for the work of any minister. However, some questions remain unanswered in regard to apparent conclusions drawn by the authors. For instance, there seems to be the underlying desire to embrace innovation by getting rid of ‘clutter’ or ‘baggage’ that might prevent the body from ‘moving forward.’ But, they fail to fully explain what does or does not constitute concepts like church hierarchy, structure, or control. Is exchanging one form of hierarchy for another really innovation? Is moving from denominational oversight to the oversight of the “Acts 29 model,” as an example, really better, or is it just new and different? Are some of the things the church has always done really expendable or are they just being given another name in the effort to appear “innovative?”
The point is to discover whether or not these concepts are right or wrong, not if they are working. Pragmatism tells us if something works it must be right, but by that standard much of Christ’s ministry must have been wrong. Denominational ministry, for example, has worked and still is working in many respects, so it cannot be dismissed as being mere “clutter” by this standard. Especially considering that what is being proposed to replace it could very well be the “clutter” of the next generation.
