Experiencing Leader Shift

Book Review.

Cousins, Don. Experiencing Leader Shift. Letting go of leadership heresies. Pub. David C. Cook. 2008.

Comment. Henry.
There are some fundamental difference between church leadership and market place leadership. Don focuses on church leadership. It must be gift-based and passion driven. The goal is equipping the members of the church to minister. In order for this to happen some ‘leadership heresies’ must be identified and dealt with. This is the challenge of today’s church leaders. A good tool in the hands of a skilful workman.

Far too much emphasis has been placed on the gift of leadership in churches. “Only 8 percent of America’s pastors see themselves as having the gift of leadership.” Barna. Leaders are defined as “organizational builders”. (20) According to this definition most pastors are not leaders and they should not feel pressure to be such leaders. There are a number of spiritual gifts that have “leadership effects” (25) but should not be called leadership, e.g. teaching, exhortation, evangelism, etc. Leadership should result in people being equipped.

The statistics strongly suggest that people in ministry, vocational and lay, are experiencing problems that reflect “a road to self-destruction” (49) because of our beliefs and actions.




We worship at the altar of success; however, the success is in itself a heresy. Four questions are posed to help us get a better understanding of success. They have to do with being faithful, bearing fruit, being fulfilled and making God famous.

There is a heresy prevalent about serving God. We don’t serve because God needs our service nor is it some form of payback because of what we have received. Our serving brings us blessings. As we acknowledge our blessings God is glorified. Serving is driven by the ‘one another’ principle. The Holy Spirit must be the central motivator.

“The churh that’s protected by the board, led by the staff, served by the congregation, and serving the world is operating as God ordained.” (139) The institutional model of a church is heresy.

Dealing appropriately with leadership heresies requires internal change. “Nothing less than a move of the Holy Spirit.” (146) One change is to move being planners to being equippers. Such change begins with discontent (pain) which is fueled by a vision of what should (could) be. The first step to facilitating such change is prayer followed by “teaching the Word so God’s people will know his will”. (157) Leaders must lead by example.

The greatest motivator for involving volunteers in service is for them to understand and experience the


“blessing factor”. (188) Effective ministry will happen when we find “the zone of God’s anointing”. (214) (This concept is explained.)

To turn consumers into contributors will involve four essentials. First there must be an acceptance of the priesthood of all believers. Leaders must become equippers. Ministry must be “gift-based and passion-driven”. (225) Experiencing success as contributors should be common not the exception.

An “application guide” (248) has been developed to help churches work through ‘leadershift’. A number of churches that have experienced success with this resource tell their story.