The Church Beyond …. our Leadership

Richard Ellena Bishop of Nelson, NZ, 2007–
This is a book written by an experienced leader to stretch and challenge developing leaders. Effective leadership is essential to the health and vitality of the local church. Bob is able to identify those key concepts that transcend time and setting. I encouraged Bob to write this book because he had the habit of challenging me in such a way that led me to reflect on aspects of my own leadership and each of these occasions were times of personal growth and development. This book also does that and is an excellent resource for anyone wishing to grow in leadership.

Derek Eaton Bishop of Nelson, NZ, 1990–2006
This book is a “must” for those who have been called to leadership in the church – both lay and ordained. One would be hard pressed to find better help so practical and so soundly based on Scripture. In a day when solid, sound, and dare I say it, successful examples of leadership are hard to find, this book is a goldmine of relevant, sensible information which will challenge the reader to be the very best he or she can be for our Lord and for his kingdom. The contents of this book come not only from research and observation but from actually putting these principles into practice and I am not sure if I have seen another – in its content and its easy layout – so applicable to the New Zealand and Australian situations today.

Murray Robertson Senior Pastor, Spreydon Baptist Church, Christchurch, NZ 1968–2009, Pastor Emeritus 2010–
It is so good to have a book written out of extensive leadership experience in the New Zealand context. It provides a goldmine of helpful observations. I particularly appreciate Bob’s emphasis among other things on the fact that we need to keep growing in our leadership experience. It is applicable to a variety of denominational perspectives. Although denominations have different governance structures the leadership challenges that are faced are essentially the same. A feature is its section on effective management, which is often neglected in leadership books. A failure to grasp essential aspects of this has been the undoing of some pastors’ ability to lead.