Me to We: A Pastor's Discovery of the Power of Partnership

by Alan E. Nelson

There's no denying that healthier, happier churches have nearly everyone involved in some form of ministry. Alan Nelson, executive editor of REV! Magazine, guides your congregation to discover, develop, and deploy their gifts in service--and help your entire church reach its full potential. Explore practical way to move your church from a pastor-centric model to one that maximizes its volunteers, staff, and everyone in your church. Includes a variety of "best practices" from interviews with churches that have released their pastors from "doing it all" -- and successfully turned the way they do ministry upside-down.

Genres: Leadership

192 pages, Paperback

First published September 4, 2007

About the author

Alan E. Nelson, Ed.D., is a social entrepreneur, professor, and young leader expert, who lives near Los Angeles, California. He has a graduate degree in psychology-communication and doctorate in leadership (University of San Diego). As an adjunct professor at USC Marshall School of Business, the Naval Postgraduate School, and Pepperdine University, he teaches leadership, org behavior and change, and related topics.

At midlife, Alan came to the conclusion that the best leadership development is used on adults, after they're set in their ways. He began his pioneering work on identifying and developing 10-18 year olds, gifted in leadership. "The goal is to get to leaders while they're moldable, not moldy," Nelson quips. He is the founder of LeadYoung Training Systems (www.LeadYoungTraining.com) and KidLead Inc. (a non-profit).

Dr. Nelson is the author of 20 books, over 200 articles, and 150 hours of young leader training curricula. He's a corporate trainer and keynoter, focusing on an array of topics, usually related to his writings. He lives with his wife of 36 years, Nancy, in Thousand Oaks, CA.

Reviews

[Cheryl · Rating 1 out of 5]

I enjoyed the way it was written as a dialogue between two pastors. It was easy to read and flowed very well. In the beginning they made a few good points but I found there was alot of text and very little content. As it continued the one pastor was giving very specific instruction to the otger on how to lead and structure his church. I found it focused too much on doing and barely touched at all on growing closer to God or character development. I stopped reading it after getting 3/4 through because the pastor said they were making church membership too easy by not requiring church involvement in the past. I dont think pressure should be put on anyone to serve. It should come out of an overflow of gratitude for what God has done for us. Works is religious and this book teaches religion not relationship. :(

[Eric Black · Rating 3 out of 5]

Me to We is an engaging and fairly quick read. The principle of intentionally engaging others in the work of ministry is a crucial practice to avoid burnout. The reader will need to contextualize the plan for their specific place of ministry. Also, the reader must remember Nelson's plan requires a long time to fulfill, which he explains at the end of the book.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are a Pastor and want to actually do what it is God has called you to do, not what pastor-centric churches do, you have to read this book!!