Thursday, January 17, 2008

The Seven Practices of Effective Ministry, by Andy Stanley, Reggie Joiner, Lane Jones

The authors make no pretense that their principles for ministry are not derived primarily from the Bible. As with many business success books, 7 Practices weaves a parable that provides a common sense backdrop to the principles. The authors’ baseball narrative does provide a relatively consistent metaphor for these ministry Practices.

The 7 Practices are…

  1. Clarify the win: Define what is important to every level of the organization.
  2. Think steps, not programs: Before you start anything, make sure it takes you where you need to go.
  3. Narrow the focus: Do fewer things in order to make a greater impact.
  4. Teach less for more: Say only what you need to say to the people who need to hear it.
  5. Listen to outsiders: Focus on who you’re trying to reach, not who you’re trying to keep.
  6. Replace yourself: Learn to hand off what you do.
  7. Work on it: Take time to evaluate your work and to celebrate your wins.

1 comment:

  1. I really enjoyed that book - sometimes I am hesitant reading books that apply business principles to the church, but this one had a some good nuggets of wisdom to it.

    ReplyDelete