Build a Collaborative and Sustainable Ministry Structure
The work of the church is more than any one person can handle, and God never intended for one pastor to do all a church's ministry alone.
Discover a communal and biblical model of missional leadership in You Were Never Meant to Lead Alone. In this book, E. K. Strawser seeks to recover the shared leadership model of the early church, offering a practical and inclusive alternative to hierarchical and patriarchal church leadership structures. This book invites pastors, church planters, and ministry leaders to rethink how leadership can empower the entire body of Christ. By identifying the gifts of apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds, and teachers, this book provides a vision for leadership that fosters collaboration, inclusivity, and spiritual flourishing.
In this book, Strawser
Explores how shared leadership can be integrated into the structure of a church;
Expands on the fivefold diversity of leadership: apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds, and teachers;
Highlights how different gifts and leadership styles suit various aspects of ministry;
Expands ministry beyond paid staff, promoting inclusivity regardless of gender, race, or culture;
Addresses real-life power dynamics and temptations leaders face; and
Offers practical, sustainable structures to multiply leaders for the benefit of the entire community.
This book argues that for the church to truly reflect the fullness of Christ, it must embrace the sharing of power. If you're ready to reimagine ministry and build mature leadership in your church, start with You Were Never Meant to Lead Alone.
Table of Contents:
Foreword by Alexia Salvatierra
Prologue
Part One: The Shift from Hierarchical Leadership to Sharing Leadership
1. The Nature of Leadership
2. Sharing Leadership Requires Maturity
3. Mature Leaders Are Disciples First
4. The 4 Hs: Marks of Mature Leaders
Part Two: Sharing Leadership in Ephesians 4
5. Revising the Delineation of Leadership from Ephesians 4
6. Reframing Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Shepherd, and Teacher Leaders
7. Relying on APEST for Sharing Leadership
8. Recalling APEST for All Types of Sharing Leaders
Part Three: Sharing Leadership in Real Life
9. The Power of Sharing Leadership
10. How to Start Sharing Leadership
11. How to Structure Sharing Leadership
12. How to Sustain Sharing Leadership
Epilogue
Afterword by David E. Fitch
Acknowledgments
Notes
