Good pastoral leadership is not a "by the numbers" proposition. It is a matter of heart and soul, of devoting the whole self to the vision God gives for the congregation in which one serves. Yet neither is it purely intuitive; it requires hard, careful thinking about the directions and details of the path down which God calls. When Adam Hamilton became pastor of the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection, its membership consisted of himself and his family. Ten years later the church averages between five and six thousand worshipers per weekend. Throughout this remarkable period, Hamilton learned many serious lessons about both the broad visions and the specific details of pastoral leadership. Bringing a depth of analytical skills often lacking in visionary leaders, in this book he goes beyond simply telling the story of Church of the Resurrection. He shares the questions that he learned to ask about the largely unchurched population to which Church of the Resurrection has reached out. Further, he demonstrates what he learned by listening to the answers to these questions, and how doing so has made possible a number of strategically crucial decisions the church has made. One of those crucial decisions was to make more traditional forms of worship and praise the center of the congregation's life. The result is that the example of Church of the Resurrection offers pastors and church leaders (especially those in mainline denominations) the realization that they need not completely change their liturgical and theological identity in order to reach out to the unchurched. Drawing on his own experience, as well as the detailed research on the characteristics of highly successful congregations he undertook during a sabbatical leave, Hamilton offers pastors and other church leaders solid, substantive thinking on steps that congregations can take to become centers of vibrant outreach and mission. Also available in: Adobe Ebook 9780687026753 Microsoft Ebook 9780687027491 Adam Hamilton is senior pastor of The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas, one of the fastest growing, most highly visible churches in the country. The Church Report named Hamilton’s congregation the most influential mainline church in America, and he preached at the National Prayer Service as part of the presidential inauguration festivities in 2013 and was appointed to the President's Advisory Council on Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships. Hamilton is the best-selling and award-winning author of Creed, Half Truths, The Call, The Journey, The Way, 24 Hours That Changed the World, John, Revival, Not a Silent Night, Enough, When Christians Get It Wrong, and Seeing Gray in a World of Black and White , all published by Abingdon Press. Learn more about Adam Hamilton at AdamHamilton.org. Leading Beyond the Walls Developing Congregations with a Heart for the Unchurched By Adam Hamilton Abingdon Press Copyright © 2002 Abingdon Press All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-0-687-06415-1 Contents FOREWORD Lyle E. Schaller, PREFACE, INTRODUCTION, CHAPTER ONE A Biblical Model for Leadership: The Shepherd, CHAPTER TWO Three Questions You Must Answer, CHAPTER THREE The Fourth Question, CHAPTER FOUR Marketing the Church, CHAPTER FIVE The Little Things, CHAPTER SIX Effective Follow-up Strategies, CHAPTER SEVEN Great Expectations, CHAPTER EIGHT Reflections on "Traditional" Worship, CHAPTER NINE Preaching, CHAPTER TEN Pastoral Care, CHAPTER ELEVEN Weddings and Funerals, CHAPTER TWELVE Troubled Waters: Dealing with Opposition, CHAPTER THIRTEEN Becoming a Visionary Leader, CHAPTER FOURTEEN What You Need to Know About Staff, CHAPTER FIFTEEN Fund-raising, CHAPTER SIXTEEN The Qualities of an Effective Pastor, CHAPTER SEVENTEEN Avoiding Burnout and Other Personal Advice, CHAPTER EIGHTEEN A Postscript and a Word of Encouragement, CHAPTER 1 A Biblical Model for Leadership: The Shepherd The purpose of this book is to encourage effective leadership in the local church, which in turn will develop dynamic congregations. The pastor plays a critical role in the leadership and success of the church, so I will begin by focusing on the heart and mission of the pastor. At the same time I will propose that the calling of pastor goes far beyond one single individual in the church and is, in fact, a calling that belongs to all church leaders, lay and clergy. I'll begin with a simple question: What is a "pastor"? We know what an auto mechanic is. We understand what a dentist does. But what is a pastor? Interestingly enough the word only appears once in the entire Bible, in Ephesians 4:11 where we read of the five (or four, if pastor and teacher are synonymous terms as some suggest) leadership offices of the early church: "It was [God] who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers" (NIV). While the office is assumed throughout the New