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Leading from the Second Chair: Serving Your Church, Fulfilling Your Role, and Realizing Your Dreams
This book addresses the unique challenges faced by secondary Church leaders, offering practical advice on fulfilling and successful service.
Church leaders who hold second chair positions are under tremendous pressure. They are expected to do their jobs and provide leadership while deferring to the top leader’s decisions and preferences. It's a constant balancing act where the challenges often go unrecognized. Leading from the Second Chair offers an invaluable resource to leaders who serve in second (and third or fourth) chair roles, enabling them to become more productive, proactive, and fulfilled.
Mike Bonem and Roger Patterson share their own and others' experiences of failure and success in these vital roles. They offer support and practical advice for reshaping the way second chair leaders can serve well and improve the overall performance of their church or organization. Leading from the Second Chair equips readers with the positive attitudes, skills, and strategies needed to become powerful leaders who will survive and thrive in God's service.
Church leaders who hold second chair positions are under tremendous pressure. They are expected to do their jobs and provide leadership while deferring to the top leader’s decisions and preferences. It's a constant balancing act where the challenges often go unrecognized. Leading from the Second Chair offers an invaluable resource to leaders who serve in second (and third or fourth) chair roles, enabling them to become more productive, proactive, and fulfilled.
Mike Bonem and Roger Patterson share their own and others' experiences of failure and success in these vital roles. They offer support and practical advice for reshaping the way second chair leaders can serve well and improve the overall performance of their church or organization. Leading from the Second Chair equips readers with the positive attitudes, skills, and strategies needed to become powerful leaders who will survive and thrive in God's service.
204 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 1, 2005
193 people are currently reading
505 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 68 reviews
February 6, 2022
Couldn’t put it down. The chapters about team building, contentment, and dreaming spoke to me a TON. This book is a good tool for those in a proverbial “second chair”, those leading people in “second chairs”, or those leading teams of “second chairs”. Growth (in leadership, ministry, life and character) is RARELY linear, and this was a huge reminder that God is working in the details we often neglect or want to rush away from.
March 20, 2022
Very mediocre book. The content could have very easily been distilled into an article as opposed to a full length treatment.
The biblical exposition was suspect (relying heavily on the Joseph narrative) and the use of anecdotal reports from second chair leaders was not overly helpful.
The biblical exposition was suspect (relying heavily on the Joseph narrative) and the use of anecdotal reports from second chair leaders was not overly helpful.
February 19, 2021
This book is for those in a Christian business. Not exactly for those in a church.
November 29, 2021
A must-read for people who have recently found themselves warming a second chair for the first time, as it will help put words to the tensions you will undoubtedly feel, and give you a pathway forward.
Read
November 1, 2023This one started rough. But when I got to the second and third parts it took off. A practical and informative book about that captures the heart and reality of being an "associate" and/or "assistant" in a vocational ministry setting. I wish I had read this when I started my residency last year.
Read
July 31, 2025This book is probably best read within a team; there's lots of good content for bosses and subordinates - ministerial or not - to work through (honestly, this book would really benefit from discussion questions).
All in all, a great overview of information/advice and an easy read.
All in all, a great overview of information/advice and an easy read.
May 3, 2022
Helpful
May 20, 2023
Amazing book on this topic. I found many advices for my position.
April 12, 2024
There were some good parts to this book, but it was kind of hard for me to get through not going to lie.
May 15, 2025
3 star quality writing but 5 star quality insights!
April 14, 2016
This book could be condensed into a blog post and be just as effective in passing along its' principles. The practices it suggests are simple common sense, and the stories are a jumble of names and places that do a below average job at illustrating the core truths/principles from the book. The application of the story of Joseph was at times helpful but in other spots a torturous application of the biblical story.
My biggest reason for rating it low is because the book almost assumes that everyone is working at a thriving organization with a visionary leader. My experience has been that most people, either in ministry or the business world, don't work in organizations like that. If the book gave more practical application to deal with a workplace or church that shares more in common with a first chair like Michael Scott, then I'd rate the book much higher.
My biggest reason for rating it low is because the book almost assumes that everyone is working at a thriving organization with a visionary leader. My experience has been that most people, either in ministry or the business world, don't work in organizations like that. If the book gave more practical application to deal with a workplace or church that shares more in common with a first chair like Michael Scott, then I'd rate the book much higher.
January 15, 2016
Helpful in confirming my continued call as an associate staff. Good exhortations to think in terms of broad influence within a narrower sphere of responsibility.
January 23, 2015
Mike Bonem and Roger Paterson’s book, Leading from the Second Chair is a useful volume that highlights the perspective of pastoral leadership not from the “first chair” or primary leader role, but in the “second chair” or secondary leader position. This second chair leader faces a very different context for leadership than the pastor in the first chair, and the approach is quite different as well.
The authors have both served in second chair roles at various times in their ministry, so their joint vantage point adds value to the reader, whether it be a senior pastor or associate, second chair minister. The difference in these two authors writing—and what makes this book so unique in the church leadership bookshelf—is that they are not senior pastors telling second chair leaders what to do, but they are instead veteran second chair leaders who realize how this increasingly highlighted role is very different from that of the lead pastor.
Summary
In the preliminary section labeled, “Am I a Second Chair Leader?” Bonem and Patterson define the second chair leader as, “a person in a subordinate role whose influence with others adds value throughout the organization” (13). They give “faces” to the second chair such as executive pastor or associate pastor. They also open the role up to the church, saying that second chair leaders (usually in small churches) can be lay leaders whom the Lord calls to a higher commitment of governance within their church. These people are bestowed with God’s gift of insight, expertise, and leadership.
As the book progresses, the authors examine three paradoxes of second chair pastoral leaders: The subordinate-leader paradox, the deep-wide paradox, and the contentment-dreaming paradox. The first paradox is introduced as the way in which Old Testament Joseph led Egypt. He was not given the power overnight. God allowed him to be tempted toward power many times as a youth, and eventually by Potiphar’s wife where he passed God’s test (though thrown into prison after being falsely accused). The lesson of Joseph related to a second chair leader because both must be able to have a subordinate spirit at times and a leader’s heart and gifting at other times. Those called to second chair leadership cannot give into temptation to become the lead pastor or the pharaoh of Egypt.
The authors tie each paradox to a specific area of a minister’s life and leadership. The subordinate-leader paradox is about managing one’s relationships. The second chair pastor ought to very well know the fine line between their given authority in the church and among the staff, and that it is different than the senior pastor. Once a leader knows where that line is, it is easier to know when it is appropriate to cross it, and there may even be more invitations to do so in everyday interactions as the relationship between the first and second chair leaders matures.
Next, the deep-wide paradox addresses specific work habits. Second chair leaders ought to do their job—whatever that looks like in their specific context—with a high bar of excellence. The authors give a “perfect job description” for people like executive pastors in the church (82). These points build upon what’s learned in the first paradox.
Finally, the contentment-dreaming paradox is about managing emotions. Perhaps the most important climax of any leadership material in the church is about standing on the ground that God has provided. The Bible is full of examples of leaders who are encouraged not to give up when it seems like all is lost. The authors go back to the example of Joseph as he was in prison. They define contentment as staying “regardless of current circumstances” (124), for a season. This does not mean that the second chair leader is not reaching their personal dreams, but it does mean that those dreams should, for the season of their life, mesh well with the vision and goals of the church where they are currently serving.
Critical Evaluation
The relationship between senior pastor and second chair leader in the role of executive pastor is seen through the lens of this book as like a marriage. It is difficult to think of such a leadership union, especially when ministry at this level is filled with male-only roles. This point of critique really doesn’t hold up, though, when one reads the explanation of this paradox (27-42). The relationship dynamic of two pastors who vision cast and manage a large organization from a similar vantage point is very close to what a husband and wife do when parenting their children and running their household.
In some ways, the senior pastor is like the husband. He teaches the children, casts vision, takes the lead in speaking engagements, dedicates the babies, and so on. Cooperatively, the executive pastor is like the wife. He manages the church (or “household,” so to speak), keeps track of the paperwork (or delegates this to an administrator), listens to and supports the vision of the senior pastor, and performs various assignments at the will of the senior pastor.
However, the second chair executive pastor also takes on more husband-like roles in some churches when it comes to running the various staff meetings, hiring, firing, and correcting personnel, and unifying the various ministries. In other ways, also, the senior pastor may take on wifely persona (if his personality allows) such as counseling staff members, providing a listening ear after the discipline of the executive pastor, and being more empathetic with the congregation’s many needs and concerns. As hard as it is to say this about two men of God, the executive leadership team really is like a marriage.
Conclusion
Leading from the Second Chair was written for those who serve in ministry but are not the senior pastor. Associate pastors, and especially executive pastors, who are navigating the waters of what their calling in leadership is in the local church would benefit greatly from this book. In fact, there should be at least one course offered in modern seminaries for students who may find themselves in such a position. Many students enter seminary education with the intent to be a lead pastor, church planter, missionary, or youth pastor and end up—many times because of seniority—in an associate pastoral role in a medium or large size church with little to no equipping for what such a position looks like. Additionally, there may be years of the mentality of being recognized as senior leader that is stuck in their heads. This book can help to transform such a person into a useful servant leader in their new position between first chair and other second chair leaders.
This is also a book for lead or senior pastors because each section of Leading from the Second Chair has a specific section intended to equip first chair leaders to work with their subordinate leaders. Overall, this is one of the new essential books for practical development in the contemporary church models where more management roles are being created between the lead pastor and the generic ministry leader.
The authors have both served in second chair roles at various times in their ministry, so their joint vantage point adds value to the reader, whether it be a senior pastor or associate, second chair minister. The difference in these two authors writing—and what makes this book so unique in the church leadership bookshelf—is that they are not senior pastors telling second chair leaders what to do, but they are instead veteran second chair leaders who realize how this increasingly highlighted role is very different from that of the lead pastor.
Summary
In the preliminary section labeled, “Am I a Second Chair Leader?” Bonem and Patterson define the second chair leader as, “a person in a subordinate role whose influence with others adds value throughout the organization” (13). They give “faces” to the second chair such as executive pastor or associate pastor. They also open the role up to the church, saying that second chair leaders (usually in small churches) can be lay leaders whom the Lord calls to a higher commitment of governance within their church. These people are bestowed with God’s gift of insight, expertise, and leadership.
As the book progresses, the authors examine three paradoxes of second chair pastoral leaders: The subordinate-leader paradox, the deep-wide paradox, and the contentment-dreaming paradox. The first paradox is introduced as the way in which Old Testament Joseph led Egypt. He was not given the power overnight. God allowed him to be tempted toward power many times as a youth, and eventually by Potiphar’s wife where he passed God’s test (though thrown into prison after being falsely accused). The lesson of Joseph related to a second chair leader because both must be able to have a subordinate spirit at times and a leader’s heart and gifting at other times. Those called to second chair leadership cannot give into temptation to become the lead pastor or the pharaoh of Egypt.
The authors tie each paradox to a specific area of a minister’s life and leadership. The subordinate-leader paradox is about managing one’s relationships. The second chair pastor ought to very well know the fine line between their given authority in the church and among the staff, and that it is different than the senior pastor. Once a leader knows where that line is, it is easier to know when it is appropriate to cross it, and there may even be more invitations to do so in everyday interactions as the relationship between the first and second chair leaders matures.
Next, the deep-wide paradox addresses specific work habits. Second chair leaders ought to do their job—whatever that looks like in their specific context—with a high bar of excellence. The authors give a “perfect job description” for people like executive pastors in the church (82). These points build upon what’s learned in the first paradox.
Finally, the contentment-dreaming paradox is about managing emotions. Perhaps the most important climax of any leadership material in the church is about standing on the ground that God has provided. The Bible is full of examples of leaders who are encouraged not to give up when it seems like all is lost. The authors go back to the example of Joseph as he was in prison. They define contentment as staying “regardless of current circumstances” (124), for a season. This does not mean that the second chair leader is not reaching their personal dreams, but it does mean that those dreams should, for the season of their life, mesh well with the vision and goals of the church where they are currently serving.
Critical Evaluation
The relationship between senior pastor and second chair leader in the role of executive pastor is seen through the lens of this book as like a marriage. It is difficult to think of such a leadership union, especially when ministry at this level is filled with male-only roles. This point of critique really doesn’t hold up, though, when one reads the explanation of this paradox (27-42). The relationship dynamic of two pastors who vision cast and manage a large organization from a similar vantage point is very close to what a husband and wife do when parenting their children and running their household.
In some ways, the senior pastor is like the husband. He teaches the children, casts vision, takes the lead in speaking engagements, dedicates the babies, and so on. Cooperatively, the executive pastor is like the wife. He manages the church (or “household,” so to speak), keeps track of the paperwork (or delegates this to an administrator), listens to and supports the vision of the senior pastor, and performs various assignments at the will of the senior pastor.
However, the second chair executive pastor also takes on more husband-like roles in some churches when it comes to running the various staff meetings, hiring, firing, and correcting personnel, and unifying the various ministries. In other ways, also, the senior pastor may take on wifely persona (if his personality allows) such as counseling staff members, providing a listening ear after the discipline of the executive pastor, and being more empathetic with the congregation’s many needs and concerns. As hard as it is to say this about two men of God, the executive leadership team really is like a marriage.
Conclusion
Leading from the Second Chair was written for those who serve in ministry but are not the senior pastor. Associate pastors, and especially executive pastors, who are navigating the waters of what their calling in leadership is in the local church would benefit greatly from this book. In fact, there should be at least one course offered in modern seminaries for students who may find themselves in such a position. Many students enter seminary education with the intent to be a lead pastor, church planter, missionary, or youth pastor and end up—many times because of seniority—in an associate pastoral role in a medium or large size church with little to no equipping for what such a position looks like. Additionally, there may be years of the mentality of being recognized as senior leader that is stuck in their heads. This book can help to transform such a person into a useful servant leader in their new position between first chair and other second chair leaders.
This is also a book for lead or senior pastors because each section of Leading from the Second Chair has a specific section intended to equip first chair leaders to work with their subordinate leaders. Overall, this is one of the new essential books for practical development in the contemporary church models where more management roles are being created between the lead pastor and the generic ministry leader.
February 2, 2018
A friend who has spent years in Church Administration recommended this book to me, suggesting that my competencies from the corporate world would be assets in a congregation to support the Senior Pastor or in a non-profit to support the CEO. -----From the Publisher: LEADING FROM THE SECOND CHAIR will raise awareness of the need for strong leaders in secondary positions. It will describe the value they can bring to their organization and to primary leaders when they are serving at their full potential. It will reshape the way they view their role, with an emphasis on their own responsibility as leaders. It recognizes the unique challenges and frustrations of serving in a subordinate position and equips these leaders with the attitudes and skills that they will need to survive and thrive in this new paradigm. Because of the scarcity of resources for second chair leaders, particularly those in the church, this book will offer a practical way to improve the performance of any organization. Leading Congregational Change discussed the importance of a "vision community"--a diverse group of key members who discern and implement the vision for a congregation--to guide the transformation of a church. This work will extend the theme of an empowered leadership team as we explore how individual clergy and laity can lead effectively.
March 19, 2019
TLDR: People who have been in ministry for more than three months will find nothing new, interesting, or inspiring in this book.
This book says three things (my paraphrase).
1. Be a good teammate
2. Be good at doing big picture things and detailed things
3. Be content with your role + dream for the future!
All three of these points are fine, but the authors don’t take these ideas deeper than ankle level.
This book falls into the same trap most Christian leadership books fall into; saying 1 thing for 200 pages. Everything this book tries to teach you is found in the intro and the table of contents. The actually content is fluff at best and more often than not embarrassingly boring anecdotes about a handful of churches the author has relationship with. Honestly, Bonem & Patterson write like a grade 9 student trying to fill out the word count on an English essay. Boring and uninteresting. I was shocked that Patterson VENERATES the ministry of the executive pastor of Willow Creek Greg Hawkins. Maybe Greg was good at getting stuff done, too bad he wasn’t any good at protecting his first chair leader form himself.
This book says three things (my paraphrase).
1. Be a good teammate
2. Be good at doing big picture things and detailed things
3. Be content with your role + dream for the future!
All three of these points are fine, but the authors don’t take these ideas deeper than ankle level.
This book falls into the same trap most Christian leadership books fall into; saying 1 thing for 200 pages. Everything this book tries to teach you is found in the intro and the table of contents. The actually content is fluff at best and more often than not embarrassingly boring anecdotes about a handful of churches the author has relationship with. Honestly, Bonem & Patterson write like a grade 9 student trying to fill out the word count on an English essay. Boring and uninteresting. I was shocked that Patterson VENERATES the ministry of the executive pastor of Willow Creek Greg Hawkins. Maybe Greg was good at getting stuff done, too bad he wasn’t any good at protecting his first chair leader form himself.
September 3, 2023
Mike Bonem and Roger Patterson's "Leading from the Second Chair" is written to help executive and associate pastors thrive in their roles. The book is built around three paradoxes of those in the second chair: subordinate-leader; deep-wide; contentment-dreaming. The book is best read by the lead and exec/associate pastor together (in fact each section ends with "a word to first chairs").
I read this book with our executive pastor and it netted a lot of productive conversations. The book encourages those in the second chair to take ownership as creative leaders, but consistently reminds them to do so humbly and with a heart to serve those in the first chair. My only critique is that the book presumes a more hierarchical structure than I think is biblically warranted. I wish there was a stronger emphasis on plurality and the first chair's responsibility to engage those in the second chair as a true partner and tap their creative gifts.
Whether you're in the second chair or first chair, this book will serve you well. I encourage you to not just read it alone, though. Read it together.
For more reviews see thebeehive.live.
I read this book with our executive pastor and it netted a lot of productive conversations. The book encourages those in the second chair to take ownership as creative leaders, but consistently reminds them to do so humbly and with a heart to serve those in the first chair. My only critique is that the book presumes a more hierarchical structure than I think is biblically warranted. I wish there was a stronger emphasis on plurality and the first chair's responsibility to engage those in the second chair as a true partner and tap their creative gifts.
Whether you're in the second chair or first chair, this book will serve you well. I encourage you to not just read it alone, though. Read it together.
For more reviews see thebeehive.live.
September 8, 2021
As a leader for the past 40+ years there was a tension between being the lead leader and being a leader who supported other leaders. Bonem and Patterson provided a model for me to understand what the role and aim of a 'second chair' leader is. It it what I have been for most of my executive career and one that fit my personality and style well. I also found through their insights and my personal experience that I could be more effective from the second chair than I could be from the first chair. It was liberating, freeing, and a lot less stressful once I came to that conclusion. A very helpful book if you find yourself as a 'second chair' leader.
January 13, 2025
This is a great book for anyone who is an assistant manager, sales manager, Associate Pastor, or any person who is in a secondary leadership position. I have been in these roles in my secular career and as an Associate Pastor. One of the struggles is navigating the process of putting your fingerprints on programs or ideas while following another person sets the direction for the organization, association, or church. This book allows those sitting in the second chair to gain tools for learning and development in this chair without being in a hurry to get to the first chair. I cannot recommend this book enough.
May 25, 2020
The content was pretty good, but I had trouble getting into it. The book wasn't written in a way that made it easy to read. I felt that there was a lot of repetition and retelling stories that had already been told. That being said, it was an interesting book to read as someone who is a "second chair leader" and posed some good questions for self-reflection, as well as advice for those in such a position. Each section also includes a part that is addressed to "first chair leader"/supervisor which I thought was a helpful idea and potentially worth sharing.
August 20, 2023
An excellent book on second chair leadership. It has been instrumentally helpful to me as I transition into a second chair role at my local church. The author’s tone is, at times, a little abstract for my taste, but they repeatedly stress the importance of living within the tensions of subordinate/leader, deep/wide, contentment/dreaming, and that really keep me engaged. I have no doubt that I will be a better and more effective second chair leader because of the wisdom imparted to me through this week. So so so thankful for this resource!!!
September 6, 2021
It’s a 3 star quality written book with quite a few 5 star quality insights. It’s a tough, slow read that should be much shorter and written in a more engaging manner. That being said, I know of no other book like it for associate pastors/church staff/2nd chair leaders, so I would heartily recommend it for anyone who finds themselves serving in one of those positions. As they say, you’ll just have to “eat the meat and spit out the bones.”
December 20, 2021
Quite simplistic. No acknowledgement of complexity, such as where truth is more important than relationship (eg/ instances of abuse), where there are structural power imbalance (gender, race) or where the ‘first chair’ is less than ideal.
Given that no difficult issues are addressed, it could be summarised as “your boss is the infallible boss, you are a service machine”
Perfect for a narcissistic boss to hand out to their direct reports.
Given that no difficult issues are addressed, it could be summarised as “your boss is the infallible boss, you are a service machine”
Perfect for a narcissistic boss to hand out to their direct reports.
June 30, 2021
Required reading for school. Business leadership advice and principles (some very good) wrapped in trite and cringeworthy Christian buzzwords and phrases. Also the way the authors used the story of Joseph in Genesis is just sad, using the Biblical narrative throughout this book as their basis for leadership advice (which maybe could have been done well, but was not).
November 14, 2024
This wasn’t a book I was necessarily often itching to pick back up, but it is full of interesting and inspiring ideas for being a leader in a subordinate position. It left me with lots of food for thought about who I am, who I want to be, and how I can grow. Also great for group discussion! Our resource staff team read and discussed this together and it was perfect for that!
April 15, 2025
I loved the concept of the book, and a few themes were helpful, like "deep and wide" ministry. I did not love the continued references to Joseph's leadership in the Bible (it felt forced as an example) and I thought the book could have been shorter for the content covered. At times the writing was redundant and long-winded.
May 3, 2025
This book was super validating and encouraging for the niche responsibilities of second chair leadership! It really gets in the weeds and reads like a leadership textbook so I can’t say I recommend it for everyone, but I left feeling really affirmed and encouraged in the purpose of all positions in church and ministry leadership!
December 26, 2017
I recommend or give away a copy of this book on a regular basis. You'll be hard pressed to find a better coverage on the topic of second chair leadership. Also check out his follow up, Thriving in the Second Chair. Highly recommend both.
November 28, 2018
Great Book
This is a great book to inspire you to be more than “just” a second chair; be a great second chair! I pray more first chairs read it to understand more fully what it means to be a second chair.
This is a great book to inspire you to be more than “just” a second chair; be a great second chair! I pray more first chairs read it to understand more fully what it means to be a second chair.
June 27, 2020
Probably one of the most helpful church leadership books I've read. Its principles were personally relevant and therefore easily implemented in my present situation. It helped me see the bigger picture of how God uses and develops those who find themselves in second chair positions.
June 21, 2021
Very good book for leaders who are in the “2nd Chair.” I was greatly challenged and encouraged. I have a new perspective for this season of life I am in here in Oklahoma.
“God desires to use this experience in the second chair as a transforming season in your life.”
“God desires to use this experience in the second chair as a transforming season in your life.”
Displaying 1 - 30 of 68 reviews