UnLeader: Reimagining Leadership...and Why We Must

by Lance Ford

The last thing you need is another book on leadership. So how is UnLeader different?Leadership-centric conversations dominate the contemporary evangelical church scene. The largest church leadership conferences each year include talks from corporate business executives and world famous CEOs. We are drilled with the message that if it worked for them it will work for the church.There is one overwhelming problem. Jesus himself is not our first choice when it comes to who we model ourselves after as leaders. Many times the life of Jesus directly contradicts much of what is being imported into the church under the mantra of effective leadership.This book is not about eliminating leadership in the church. UnLeader will help you redefine and recalibrate your view of leadership according to Jesus' life. Renew your ministry, reimagine your path to authentic servant leadership, and discover that the only leaders worthy of being followed in the Church are the ones who are following Christ himself.ReviewsIn a culture obsessed with leadership and leaders, this book turns the pyramid upside down, provoking all Christians to reexamine what the New Testament really has to say about the subject.-Frank Viola, author of Reimagining ChurchUnLeader is a fast, engaging read that makes a compelling case for a different way - a starkly Biblical way - towards leading the church into God's future. -David Fitch, B R Linder Chair of Evangelical Theology, Northern SeminaryAs the church struggles through seizmic shifts, UnLeader unwraps the reality of true God-sized influence. The future of the church and the fate of the world, at least in your neighborhood, are at stake...so read only if you intend to give your life away. -Hugh Halter, author of The Tangible Kingdom and Sacrilege

Genres: Leadership, Christian, Church

192 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2012

Reviews

[Laura Campbell]

This book challenges language that we use and ideals that we often hold to in our churches by reminding readers of the emphases of Scripture. Jesus was a follower, a servant, and exceptionally relational. This eliminates the possibility of cold, oppressive, power-driven hierarchical church leadership. As someone who has, thankfully, served with church leaders who consistently demonstrate beautiful humility and always strive to empower laypeople to ministry, I perceived some of the statements of this book as a bit extreme. However, the author's many real-life stories of church staffs that function more like cut-throat businesses than communities of Christ-followers convince me of the necessity of such a book. I would recommend this book to any active church member.

[Joshua · Rating 3 out of 5]

The pros: An emphasis on leaders being servants. A lamentation on the Church looking at itself as a business and modeling itself after secular business principles instead of the Bible. The cons: The author seems to have issues with submission to authority (unless it is "mutual submission"). He does not agree with the concept of a senior pastor, and seems to hold a personal grudge toward executive pastors in particular. He also makes a couple comments which seem to downplay the role of preaching in the life of the church. Finally, he takes a couple potshots at those who hold to a complementarian viewpoint of gender roles in the Church. Overall, as a senior pastor, this is a good read for me because it reminds me that my primary role is to serve. (Even though I don't agree with all his conclusions.)

[Joshua J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simply the best "leadership" book I have ever read. I put the word in quotes cause he claims that word shouldn't be used in the church in reference to people. As an elder of a church, I was challenged by his thoughts on what a leader of a church should look like. He takes all of his doctrine from how Christ lived and what he taught. We are to be servants, discipling others to do the same thing. We are a body, not a business. This is a must read for all pastors, clergyman, and Christian.

[Marion Wiley · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I started reading this book, I like to dropped my teeth. He absolutely nails what's been bugging me for so very long. I'd read Viola's Pagan Christianity years ago, and have had trouble with church-as-usual ever since. And now with all the abuse allegations coming out, I'm more convinced than ever that churches just invite trouble with the clergy/laity divide and the whole hierarchy set-up. Ford starts out with a bang, with the one verse that has been blaring in my spirit for years- the Gentiles lord it over... but it shall not be so among you. It's not supposed to be so, but it is, in just about any church of any brand you care to walk into. You'll find one person at the helm, and the inevitable hierarchy of staff under that person.

The whole "leadership" concept that has taken over churches is so very wrong, and this book just so thoroughly nails it. And the great thing is, he has the last chapters devoted to how to go about changing this. Kudos, Lance Ford, and thank you.

[Aaron de neui · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointed. Not what expected. Some good things. Best thing about the book was the chapter connecting me to David Fitch. But lots of sweeping statements and broad stroke statements. Sometimes contradicted himself. Seems to mistake a leadership title or position with abuse of that title or position. There are positions and titles appointed by God in the Bible such as prophets priests eldes overseers etc that aren't bad.

[Leron Lehman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really got me thinking. I don't think Lance Ford is wrong but I'm not sure he's right.

Still feels a little like a straw man argument to me.

Mostly, I think the point is about the posture of leader, the position is less important but it seems he focuses too much on the culture of position/heirarchy and I'm not convinced this is the problem. The right posture solves the other issues I think.

[Nancyjsells · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book. A much needed, fresh perspective that really just goes back to the leadership style of Jesus that seems to be lost in our mega church structures.
I have it 4 stars because it seems to be in need of editing, some things were a bit hard to understand due to odd sentence structures etc. It’s worth the minor struggles !

[Debbie Piper · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for every disciple, whether in a leadership or pastoral role, or not.

[Sean Muldowney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helpfully pushes back against the current cult of executive & hierarchical leadership that is so prevalent in the church.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a powerful book. If only it was mandatory for all church leaders to read this book.

[Paul Rack · Rating 4 out of 5]

The best book I have ever read on Christian leadership (maybe even on leadership generally). It needs to be digested by every church person. Ford writes from an evangelical perspective; but he is spectacularly critical of what passes for "leadership" in the church when it is based on hierarchical, command and control, business models. Some of his examples of the CEO/generalissimos who dominate mega-churches as "Senior Pastors" and "Executive Pastors" are disgraceful and breathtakingly anti-Christian. We hope that this plague of dictators does not further infect main-line churches... though we do have some large church pastors who fit this model disturbingly well. Ford thoroughly blasts out of the water all rationalization for centralized "executive" models in our churches and regional bodies (presbyteries). I hope we continue to move in the direction of losing this way of organizing ourselves. There is nothing like an executive in the New Testament (unless you count people like Herod or Pilate.) Ford goes on to talk about the decentralized, server, follower model exemplified by Jesus, and later by Paul. His conclusion is that we need to focus on making disciples by the practice of mentoring. That is, learning to do ministry and follow Jesus by imitating someone who is doing that now. The church is designed to be small groups of people learning together to follow Jesus. The sooner we lose this toxic CEO crap the better. Read this book. Then let's talk about putting its wisdom to use in our churches.

[Kyla Bell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was given the group of interns I worked with last year. I knew this book was going to be heavy (not physically) but emotionally because of all it had to unpack. It feels like I'm relearning what a leader is and how to be one. It has basically taken everything I've learned from narcissistic church leaders and held it up to Jesus' model of leadership. We know that Jesus didn't lead by being charismatic, angry, having thousands of followers, or great leadership qualities. He led by example, and his example was that of a servant. This book will disparage the CEO/business model of churches today and urge us to a life of servant-hood. Jesus is perfection, following him and studying his life and ministry is the only way to truly lead.

[Jasonlylescampbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good challenge to the way we see authority and leadership in church culture. Lance writes from his own experience with being a product over people type church leader. I think my favorite part was the short benediction at the very end where a different writer describes Stataverious from Polyani's book Personal Knowledge and expounds on the idea of choosing to watch all you can of a master because you want to know how he does it ... wondering if leadership could work that way again. If leadership could be established, not on "lording" but on mastery. Take any example ... if you want to be a carpenter, the best way is to find a good one and observe and imitate his every move.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the best recent book that I've read on leadership in a Christian context. The author advocates a flat, non-hierarchical leadership structure marked by respect and mutual submission. What this book points to runs totally against the grain of what is found in nearly every church, business and organization. Numerous The church's obsession with leadership has got to go. Leadership is important; however would that the focus and energy directed to leaders were given to actually making disciples.

[Tom Snyder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Servantship Is the Key

This book lays out the reasons why following Jesus leads to servantship rather than leadership. Being a servant is not a means to an end (leadership), it IS the end.

[Casey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent response to what can seem like an overindulgence of reliance on business practices that work, but may not be exactly Christlike.

[David Thurneysen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Agree, but more of a rant (needed more reimagining) of leadership - and perspective is mainly limited to today's evangelical Christian church.