by Henry Styron (Author)
The joke goes like this: "What do you call a leader with no followers?" "Someone who's just out for a walk." Pastors tend to have visionary dreams for church work, instilled in them by their education, their reading, and their contact with other ministers and churches. Many churches, which are usually much more insulated than their pastors, tend to be much less inclined to be visionary and change-friendly. The differing perspective between the two, and the differing expectations of the pastoral role on the part of pastor and church, lead to much frustration. This book gives some guidance and hope to pastors in this common situation, and the book is needed because a lot of potential in churches and pastors is going to waste because of a failure of the two to understand one another in this regard. If it can help one visionary pastor in a change-resistant church to more successfully move his church towards mission, while not sacrificing his relationship with them, it will have been worth the effort.