If there’s only one Ken Blanchard book you ever read, Leading at a Higher Level should be the one you pick. Basically, Ken and his team take just about every book he’s ever written, cut out all the fluff and give you the essential principles that each book contains. In each chapter it seems as though he’s moving through his catalog of writings and giving you the essence of what each book says. Here’s my only critique: it’s too long. Because he had several people working on the book, the writers stumble over each other in their ideas and repeat … Read More

I started and finished Overcoming Growth Barriers by Michael Fletcher today. This is what happens when you spend 3 hours in a waiting room to a Doctor’s office. Anyway, the book looked interesting so I picked it up. I didn’t like the title, because I think a lot of the church growth stuff is crap. It’s usually written by guys who’ve never lead, planted, or Pastored anything in their lives. So I’m a bit weary about books like this. Michael Fletcher on the other hand, is a practitioner who is reaching people in his area. What I liked most about … Read More

A friend recommended The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing by Al Ries and Jack Trout to me and I enjoyed it. It has gotten me thinking about the kind of perception that people have of church and what is needed to change the perception. Perhaps the reason why church plants tend to reach most unchurched people is because they’re able to start with a clean slate and don’t have the baggage that other churches might. Some are afraid of the word “marketing”. But every church markets themselves to one degree or another. A sign in front of your building is … Read More

I just finished The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding by Al and Laura Ries. It was very good. To me, the overarching theme was simple: narrow your focus. This is the theme of another Al Ries book, but it’s good advice. Narrowing your focus allows you to be known for something that you do well, rather than having a 100 things you’re mediocre at. Most churches try to do too much. Everyone says that, but no one pulls the plug on anything they’re already doing. We decided to narrow our focus a couple of years ago after being challenged by … Read More

I saw James Pilmore and Joe Pine, the authors of The Experience Economy at Catalyst in 2004 and I wasn’t impressed. However, I understand why the Catalyst guys invited them , because their book was fantastic. This is one of those books I’ve been meaning to read, but 2007 was the year I finally got around to it. A few great thoughts they had: – What would we do differently if we charged admission? – Focus on what people will remember – How does your process affect what you offer? – A brand must be tweaked every 5 years – … Read More