Leading the Team-Based Church

A Leadership Network Publication In Leading the Team-Based Church, George Cladis issues a clarioncall for ministry teams to embrace a fresh leadership model that isnot based on hierarchy, but on a process of collaboration thatmirrors the relationship of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Hereminds us that today's cultural environment--where authority hasbasis in trust, innovation reaps rewards, and spirituality takesroot in life and work--has matured past the need for the hierarchyof traditional church leadership where the pastor had the finalsay. Through down-to-earth stories from his own experience andthose of clergy in both mainline and evangelical churches, Cladisoffers an exciting alternative to the traditional forms of churchleadership, enabling pastors, congregational leaders, and staff tobreathe new life into their ministries and unleash the fullpotential of the entire ministry team. Cladis, pastor of a fast-growing mainline congregation,demonstrates how cultural changes affecting all ourinstitutions--not just the church--are making it easier to adoptthis new model of leadership. Cladis's practical advice will enableministry teams to work together in ways that both embody theChristian message and call forth the full creativity and love ofthe entire team. "Just when it seems that all that can be said has been said on thesubject of 'teams', just when one has tired of the gumming of thelabel 'team' on everything in sight, along comes perhaps the mostsignificant religious book on teams yet published. Cladisjuxtaposes the theological and cultural context for team-basedministry in a model presentation of what a conversation betweenBible, theology, and culture should look like."--Leonard Sweet,dean, The Theological School and vice president, Drew University

"Just when it seems that all that can be said has been said on thesubject of 'teams', just when one has tired of the gumming of thelabel 'team' on everything in sight, along comes perhaps the mostsignificant religious book on teams yet published. Cladisjuxtaposes the theological and cultural context for team-basedministry in a model presentation of what a conversation betweenBible, theology, and culture should look like." (Leonard Sweet,dean, The Theological School and vice president, DrewUniversity) "I really like the way [Cladis] ties the Trinity to teams. Hisunique approach-explaining the role of teams through the eyes ofthe Holy Trinity-offers a new way of understanding how teams canfunction in the church." (Bill Easum, president, 21st CenturyStrategies, Inc., and author, Sacred Cows Make GourmetBurgers) "Books on leadership tend to run off the road into either the ditchof theory-heavy counsel or the ditch of practice-only ideas. GeorgeCladis avoids both. He stays on the road because he has builtsuccessful church leadership teams and he has studied churchleadership theory. For him, team leadership is the key to afaithful church." (Terry C. Muck, professor of religion, AustinPresbyterian Theological Seminary)

GEORGE CLADIS is senior pastor and team leader of Noroton Presbyterian Church in Darien, Connecticut. Previously he pastored Covenant Presbyterian Church in Austin, Texas during eleven years of dramatic growth when membership doubled and attAndance tripled.