The Power of Team Leadership: Achieving Success Through Shared Responsibility

by George Barna

Most leadership in today’s churches comes from “solo practitioners”--individuals who bear the burden of providing all the direction the ministry they direct requires. Inevitably, this results not only in burned-out leaders, but underutilized lay people who merely attend and observe rather than becoming actively engaged in ministry, growing in discipleship, and freeing professional staff to focus on pastoral priorities.
In The Power of Team Leadership, noted researcher George Barna demonstrates the incredible difference lay-team leadership can make in a church’s ministry. Based on Barna’s latest national studies, the book sets forth clearly what churches need to know in order to recruit, train, and deploy lay leadership teams for maximum effectiveness in the Kingdom of God.

Genres: Leadership, Nonfiction

224 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2001

About the author

George Barna was raised and educated on the East Coast before moving to California in the early 1980s. He held executive positions in advertising, public policy, political campaigns, and media/marketing research before beginning his own company, the Barna Research Group (now The Barna Group), in 1984. The firm analyzes American culture and creates resources and experiences designed to facilitate moral and spiritual transformation. Located in Ventura, California, The Barna Group provides primary research as well as developmental resources and analytic diagnostics. The company has served several hundred parachurch ministries and thousands of Christian churches throughout the country. It has also supplied research to for-profit corporations such as Ford Motor Company, The Walt Disney Company, Visa USA, and Prudential, and has assisted the U.S. Navy and U.S. Army as well.

To date, George Barna has written more than 40 books, predominantly in the areas of leadership, trends, spiritual development, and church health. Included among them are bestsellers such as Revolution, Transforming Children into Spiritual Champions, The Frog in the Kettle, The Power of Vision, and Pagan Christianity? Several of his books have received national awards. He has also written for numerous periodicals and has published various syndicated reports on topics related to faith and lifestyle. He also writes a bimonthly research report, The Barna Update, which is accessed by hundreds of thousands of people through his firm's Web site (www.barna.org). His work is frequently cited as an authoritative source by the media. He has been hailed as "the most quoted person in the Christian church today" and is counted among its most influential leaders. In 2009, George initiated Metaformation, a new organization designed to help people maximize their potential. More information about his current projects is available from www.georgebarna.com.

Barna is a popular speaker at ministry conferences around the world and has taught at several universities and seminaries. He has served as a pastor of a large multiethnic church, has been involved in several church plants, and currently leads an organic church. He has served on the board of directors of various organizations. After graduating summa cum laude from Boston College, Barna earned two master's degrees from Rutgers University. At Rutgers, he was awarded the Eagleton Fellowship. He also received a doctorate from Dallas Baptist University. He lives with his wife and their three daughters in Southern California. He enjoys spending time with his family, writing, reading novels, playing and listening to guitar, relaxing on the beach, visiting bookstores, and eating pizza.

Reviews

[Christian Barrett · Rating 4 out of 5]

The effectiveness of this book comes from the sheer fact that Barna has access to tons of research. There is no doubt that this research has influenced this book, and as to why he is an effective presenter of ideas that statistically speaking have proven to work. What I find helpful is that unlike other leadership books, Barna doesn’t present a “cookie cutter” model for success. Rather, he presents ideas that have been effective in different contexts based on the data gathered. Barna is straight forward and presents his data succinctly and effectively. A well worthwhile read.

[Devon · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5/5. A classic example of a book that should have been an article. The part about the four leadership types and their dynamics in the team was very helpful, but the rest of the book was quite mediocre. Most of it was intuitive, unless you need convincing that teams are beneficial. If you already are for team leadership, this one might be worth a skim if you're up for it.

[Jeremy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is where I need a half star rating. Overall I think the book highlights some important problems and one possible solution to the problem (albeit a solution that perhaps Barna no longer subscribes to depending on who you ask since his Revolution was published). The main issue I have with Barna is his reliance on his surveys and trends and so forth to prove that his new way is the best and only way. For instance, he claims in this book that churches are in an either-or scenario... either embrace lay-leadership, or face the problems of solo-leadership. In reality, there is a middle ground that includes a wide scope of varying possibilities, some that look more like lay-leadership teams, and others that look more like solo-leadership. He seems to refuse to acknowledge this possibility.

So how did I get to 3.5 stars when all i've done is talk to the negaties? Well, I read this from the perspective of someone who is helping implement one of the middle-ground solutions that leans very heavily towards lay-leadership, and as such, the concepts and practices outlined in Barna's book provided really nice insight. He does use his research and surveys well, as he always does, and for the most part he aligns his point of view with a biblical perspective as well. He is honest about the challenges faced by church leadership (no matter how it's structured), and is sincere in his desire to see the challenges overcome. So, overall, it is a useful book.

[Marsh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, and now I want to go back and re-read Frog in the Kettle, also by George Barna. I think it's true that churches expect way too much from their pastors. We want them gifted in all areas, when we don't expect that of anyone else in our lives. It sets everyone up for disappointment.

[Matthew Melville]

A great overview of what team leadership can accomplish in a church. Team leadership has a lot of advantages over solo-leadership. I really appreciated George Barnas research and approach to helping churches best accomplish the vision God has given them!!