It’s only January 29^th, but Leadership Network publications are starting with a strong year. Here are a few announcements from our publishing division.

I. Leadership Network Innovation Series Book Wins ECPA Best Cover – Large Publisher Category.

In September, Deliberate Simplicity received this honor, which normally rewards flair and extravagance, for "simplicity" and understatement. How appropriate, and what a significant reminder to all of us that the message of Dave Browning’s book is calling us to reexamine our methods and motives of ministry. RELATED BLOG POST

II. Dave Gibbon’s The Monkey and The Fish Wins Awards from Christianity Today and Leadership magazines. 

The Monkey and The Fish received one of ten Golden Canon awards, selected by a diverse group of more than 100 pastors and leaders. Winners fall into one of two categories: The Leader's Outer Life, and The Leader's Inner Life. READ MORE

Gibbons’ book is given an Award of Merit in the category of Church/Pastoral Leadreship. From 472 titles submitted by 72 publishers, Christianity Today's editors selected finalists in each of 10 categories, and our expert judges went to work discovering the best of the bunch from 2009. Here are the 12 winners (including two ties) and 11 notables that best shed light on the people, events, and ideas that shape evangelical life, thought, and mission, with comments from the judges. READ MORE

III. Leadership Network Partners with Exponential and Zondervan in New Book Series

Leadership Network has teamed up with Exponential and Zondervan to create the Exponential Series. Books in the new series will tell the reproducing church story, celebrate the diversity of models and approaches God is using to reproduce healthy congregations, and to highlight the innovative practices of healthy reproducing churches. The series will launch at Exponential with the release of AND: The Gathered and the Scattered Church by Hugh Halter and Matt Smay, and Exponential: How You and Your Friends Can Start a Missional Church Movement by Dave and Jon Ferguson.

IV. Best Year Ever for Leadership Network Book Sales

In a less than healthy publishing economy Leadership Network is happy to announce that 2009 saw the greatest book sales in its publishing history. Leadership Network partners with both Jossey-Bass and Zondervan in producing 12-15 new titles each year that deal with effectively reaching the growing numbers of people who seek God but are yet to know Him. Books in our series address issues such as enabling effective leadership, encouraging life-changing service, building authentic community, creating Kingdom-centered impact, and engaging cultural and demographic realities. The Innovation Series books are about real leaders, in real churches doing real ministry. Each story features transferable principles and provides guidance on how the reader can apply these principles within their own ministry context.

Learn more at www.leadnet.org/books

Rick was one of the early pioneers in the use of the Internet, so the websites are quite rich at Saddleback Church and especially at Pastors.com, which includes a year of free sermons and the free “Rick Warren’s Ministry Toolbox” newsletter. Plus he’s been all over the mainstream media, such as a 3/29/04 cover article in Time magazine, and with increased media presence in more recent years. A Google search easily turns up a month of reading material about him.

So what’s new to write about the man Christianity Today calls “America's most prominent pastor” and other media have called “the most influential evangelical in America”? Sheler was able to obtain something that no other writer has accomplished until now: Rick Warren’s personal cooperation and thus a new degree of access to his family, close associates, and other sources of information. Over two years of research Sheler went to California, Texas, and Rwanda. He met in Rick and Kay Warren’s home, attended Saddleback Church, and observed Rick in both public and private meetings. Yet Rick did not edit or approve any of the book’s content, and so Prophet of Purpose is not an official or authorized biography.

I learned a lot from the book. The chapters on his childhood, youth and college years – including his and Kay’s turbulent early years of marriage – helped me understand some of the major influences on who he is today. He faced many challenges, from depression to a rare fainting disorder.

I was especially interested in those patterns that I would describe as innovations in ministry:

- Dreaming that his new congregation could quickly become a large-attendance church. The expectation and pattern when he launched Saddleback in 1980, based on other southern California churches in his denomination, was for him to develop a congregation of 50. (Indeed, attendance at Saddleback according to the book, reached 900 at year 5, and 2,000 at year 8.)

- Developing Saddleback as a church for the unchurched, and involving new believers quickly in ministry. This approach was quite unusual for most churches, opening Rick to a lot of criticism especially when he chose not to include the word “Baptist” in the church name.

- Moving to a role where he is both pastor and leader. This approach to church was a learning experience for him personally. In the church’s opening years, it was also a challenge for the people from Crescent Baptist Church, the Southern Baptist congregation in nearby Anaheim that sent people and money to help Saddleback get launched.

- Marketing of the book Purpose Driven Life through church-sponsored 40-day campaigns. It helped the book go viral, selling 20 million copies in its first 24 months, and remaining on the New York Times bestseller list for 188 weeks.

- Going public about the “tons of money” (his term) he made from Purpose Driven Life, including how he’s committed not to change his lifestyle and instead to give away 90% of his income.

I’m not a Rick Warren expert, but I have studied and learned from his ministry for years, interacting with him personally on several occasions. (In fact, Rick just wrote the foreword to a book Ed Stetzer and I co-authored named Viral Churches, slated for 4/10 release). I found Prophet of Purpose to be quite accurate including the half dozen event narratives where I happened to have been present or in some way associated.

More important, I felt the author caught Rick Warren’s heartbeat. Time magazine thinks Rick is influential because of his politics. Many pastors admire Rick for developing new curriculums and discipleship systems. As Rick voiced in a World magazine interview, “People don’t understand that I am fundamentally, foremost an evangelist. It’s what I care about. I don’t care about politics, I don’t care about political correctness, I don’t care about what established groups want me to do. I care about getting people into heaven.” In a surprisingly sympathetic way, Sheler brought out those passions. Sheler agrees, as he writes online in his personal comments about why he wrote the book: “While I count myself a Warren admirer, I am first and foremost a journalist with a passion for truth.” While Rick Warren and Saddleback are understandably avoiding comment on the book, it’s hard to imagine a more suitable writer – an award winning national journalist with strong research skills who himself has been part of a wide range of churches, and thus understands and even appreciates the culture of Rick Warren’s world.

There also is a website related to the book, www.prophetofpurpose.com, which includes free sample chapters and other relevant material.

Warren Bird, Ph.D., is Research Director at Leadership Network, and co-author of 21 books on various aspects of church health and innovation. His recent “Leadership Network” books blogs include Picking the Best Graphic to Tell Your Story Well, What We’re Reading at Leadership Network, The Soviet Plot to Kill God, Hard Times for Publishers but Great Times for Readers, Migration and Churches in Europe, The Worst Moment in Most Church Services, Excellent Resources for Church-Based Grants, Multi-Site Church Roadtrip Released Today, Holy Mavericks, Don’t Let This Book Cover Fool You, Turning Your Idea into a Book and Do White Churches Hold Others in Cultural Captivity?

This just-released book by expert Dona M. Wong, Wall Street Journal Guide to Information Graphics, has some very helpful answers. With over 500 illustrations to accompany its text, it both shows and explains. In many sections, it uses its left-hand page to show the wrong or unhelpful approach, and to explain why. The right-hand page is the better approach, with commentary on why. 

Sample learnings:

* In general pie charts are for simple data with only a few numbers and which adds up to the equivalent of 100%.  Line or bar charts do better for complex data.

* In pie charts start your biggest slice at the 12:00 position going clockwise. Place your second biggest slice at 12:00 going counterclockwise. Thus least important data goes in the 6pm to 9pm slot. Why? That's how the eye typically goes and the brain understands best. Don't exceed 5 slices; if you need more slices, use a segmented bar (rather than a pie within a pie) to show a breakdown of the fifth slice – see illustration at left. 

* Vertical bar charts are easier to understand than horizontal ones. If bars are not all the same color, go light to dark (see illustration at right of zebra colors, which should be avoided). If you are making one point, put that bar in one color or shade and all the rest in another color. 

* For bar charts (whether horizontal or vertical) the bar width should be roughly twice the length of the space between the bars.

* In line charts with multiple lines, use four lines maximum with the main line in a different color.

* Always build zero baseline into charts in order to represent proportionality appropriately.

* When you do have a long list or table of horizontal bars, label the data points flush right and use thin rules to separate the bars in groups of 3-5. See illustrations at right, poor and better. 

Warren Bird, Ph.D., is Research Director at Leadership Network, and co-author of 21 books on various aspects of church health and innovation. His recent “Leadership Network” books blogs include What We’re Reading at Leadership Network, The Soviet Plot to Kill God, Hard Times for Publishers but Great Times for Readers, Migration and Churches in Europe, The Worst Moment in Most Church Services, Excellent Resources for Church-Based Grants, Multi-Site Church Roadtrip Released Today, Holy Mavericks, Don’t Let This Book Cover Fool You, Turning Your Idea into a Book and Do White Churches Hold Others in Cultural Captivity?

Sherry Surratt: Power of Small by Linda Thaler and Robin Koval

Eric Swanson: Talent Code by Daniel Coyle

DJ Chuang: Free by Chris Anderson

Linda Stanley: Your Life in Rhythm by Bruce Miller

Dave Travis: Change the Way You Lead Change by David Herold

Richard Petty: Prodigal God by Tim Keller

Todd Rhoades: Zero to Sixty by Bob Franquiz

Greg Ligon: Church of Facebook by Jesse Rice

Reggie McNeal: Thy Kingdom Connected by Dwight Friessen

Wayne Smith: Blue Parakeet by Scot McNight

Chris Willard: Hole in Our Gospel by Richard Stearnes

Mark Sweeney: What the Dog Saw by Malcolm Gladwell

Finally, here are some upcoming titles we wrote that we also recommend, along with links if you’d like to pre-order:

  - The Externally Focused Quest: Becoming the Best Church for the Community by Eric Swanson and Rick Rusaw (March 2010)

- Viral Churches: Helping Church Planters Become Movement Makers by Ed Stetzer and Warren Bird (April 2010)

Warren Bird, Ph.D., is Research Director at Leadership Network, and co-author of 21 books on various aspects of church health and innovation. His recent “Leadership Network” books blogs include The Soviet Plot to Kill God, Hard Times for Publishers but Great Times for Readers, Migration and Churches in Europe, The Worst Moment in Most Church Services, Excellent Resources for Church-Based Grants, Multi-Site Church Roadtrip Released Today, Holy Mavericks, Don’t Let This Book Cover Fool You, Turning Your Idea into a Book and Do White Churches Hold Others in Cultural Captivity?

Years ago I started a local network for youth pastors in Little Rock, in partnership with a friend and colleague, a veteran youth pastor who was serving at another church in our city.  Each of us had over ten years of ministry experience at the time, just long enough to know what the questions were; and beyond that, long enough to understand the need of those who were just entering the profession to be personally encouraged and professionally equipped. What we found, however, was that many of those whom we were reaching out to did not recognize their own need for such mentoring, and the group that consistently gathered was comprised only of a handful of other veteran youth pastors, like us. After three or so years, we abandoned the cause since (by then) we had all become friends and found that we did not need a monthly meeting to maintain the goodwill and spirit of cooperation (beyond competition) as we served students, together, in the city.

Now, as the lead pastor of a church I planted almost ten years ago, I am finding that I not only have something to contribute to those just starting out on a similar course, but that I still have a need, myself, for personal encouragement and professional equipping. Indeed, I do not want to make the mistake of those I observed years ago who isolate themselves, or otherwise think they have it all figured out. Just who I am willing to entrust myself to learn from, however, is, as well, a critical choice. For, I don’t just need someone with experience to coach me. I need someone with experiential wisdom to do so: someone with proven capacity, trusted voice, and a man of prayer.

And that’s just whom I have found in Daniel Henderson, who’s book, Defying Gravity: How to Survive the Storms of Ministry, is a personal and professional tutorial that every pastor – whether those just starting out, or veterans like me - will find a valuable read and resource. His flight motif guides the reader through the vaious stages of leadership includings expectations, take-off, in-flight travel and future landing, at which time he/she might hear the Lord say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” This is clearly Henderson’s aim, hope and prayer for every pastor.

In part two – Viewing the Instrument Panel – the author provides an overview and discussion of nine “gauges” that he suggests must be regularly attended to by every leader striving for a safe, significant, flight of leadership and future landing: Applied Truth, Spiritual Intimacy, Personal Integrity, Biblical Identity, Genuine Accountability, Eternal Significance, Healthy Family Life, Indispensable Pain, and A Captivating Call. And throughout the book, he includes the practical insights of more than 20 proven, uniquely insightful, Christian leaders: from Major League Baseball’s Hall of Fame member, Paul Molitor, to Sid Verdoorn, the former president and chairman of the board of the fortune 500 company C.H. Robinson Co., to John MacArthur to … well, Mark DeYmaz!

The book is being published by Moody Press and is scheduled for release in January 2010. With a foreword by Leith Anderson, and the further endorsements of Jim Cymbala, Jonathan Falwell and Brian Bloye, it is well positioned for broad exposure and significant impact. Advance purchase can be made through Amazon.com and or via other online book providers.

A little over a year ago, Warren Bird, Geoff Surratt and I took a “road trip” as we connected with 15 plus of the leading innovative churches in the multi-site movement.  At each stop we learned about one of the latest innovations in the way multi-site that is being executed in the United States and literally around the world.  We reported on our exploration in our book A Multi-site Church Road Trip.  

On December 15, we will be taking a different kind of tour – a tour of 15 or more blogs where we will answer the questions of the following bloggers:

Story in the Making   Ben Arment   http://www.benarment.com

Monday Morning Insight   Todd Rhoades   http://mondaymorninginsight.com/

Mosaic   Eric Bryant   http://ericbryant.org/

Leading from the Second Chair   Mike Bonem http://www.secondchair.blogspot.com/

Observations   Bill Easum   www.billeasum.com

Guiding Christian Leaders   Tom Bandy   http://tgbandy.com/

BullardJournal   George Bullard   http://www.bullardjournal.org/

Consulting, Coaching and Chatter   Bill Tenny-Brittian http://www.billtennybrittian.com/

Women Who Lead   Sherry Surratt   http://www.sherrysurratt.com

LifeChurch.tv (NW OKC Campus)   Scott Williams http://bigisthenewsmall.com/

Granger Community Church (Elkhart Campus)   Jeff Bell http://livewellleadwell.com

Eagle Brook Church (White Bear Lake Canpus)   Don Graffam http://wblbehindthescenes.wordpress.com/

South Bend campus of Grace Community Church   Tim Boucher http://bouchersblog.blogspot.com/

Bay Area Fellowship   Bil Cornelius   http://www.bilcornelius.com/blog

Captain’s Blog   Chad Estes   http://chadestes.com

Please join us on these blogs and here on the Multi-Site Church Road Trip Blog and feel free to ask a question of your own.  Rumor has it that there will be a free copy of the book given to anyone who can stump Geoff Surratt!

@GregLigon – greg.ligon@leadnet.org

@GeoffSurratt – GeoffSurratt@seacoast.org

@WarrenBird - warren.bird@leadnet.org

The results were not successful in the long-term. The Soviet Union’s hardline, dogmatic and oppressive approach worked quite well in crushing the institutional and daily manifestations of religion. But even the communist leaders themselves were surprised at the persistence of belief in a supernatural realm. God turned out to be rather resilient, politically speaking!

These ideas are unwrapped in a book with an intriguing title: The Plot to Kill God: Findings from the Soviet Experiment in Secularization by Baylor professor Paul Froese. It’s an academic book, and in fact it recently won the “book of the year” award for a major academic group. While heady, it’s a very enjoyable read. The book begins with the line, “It’s easier to invoke God than to get rid of him,” and the narrative unveils how the Marxist leadership discovered that to be true, even as communism went through different forms and leaders. According to Froese, “Probably the most fascinating aspect of the great Secularization Experiment was the creation of an atheistic alternative to religion, a clearly defined atheistic worldview called scientific atheism” (page 5). It even included a baptism ceremony for babies.

The book offers a great lesson from history, along with many vivid examples that together suggest that earthly powers cannot ultimately unseat the idea of an other-worldly sovereign. I can imagine many teachers finding good illustrations in Froese’s careful narrative.

Warren Bird, Ph.D., is Research Director at Leadership Network, and co-author of 21 books on various aspects of church health and innovation. His recent“Leadership Network” books blogs include Hard Times for Publishers but Great Times for Readers, Migration and Churches in Europe, The Worst Moment in Most Church Services, Excellent Resources for Church-Based Grants, Multi-Site Church Roadtrip Released Today, Holy Mavericks, Don’t Let This Book Cover Fool You, Turning Your Idea into a Book and Do White Churches Hold Others in Cultural Captivity?