Transforming Church

Put on your own Oxygen Mask First : rediscovering ministry

Bill Easum, Put on your own oxygen mask first : rediscovering ministry, Abingdon, 2004. ISBN 0687000785 pbk $15 175p.

Essential reading for pastors, especially pastors who want to be transformational leaders. Easum distinguishes five leadership styles in existence today among pastors and Christian leaders: enabler, managerial and professional, adaptive transformational leader, breakthrough transformational leader, and apostolic transformational leader. Easum offers a most helpful treatment of call, leadership style, ministry context, and personal skill set as convergence factors for authentic and effective leadership. He provides an excellent summary table of emerging skills needed by transformational leaders (p102) and an explanation and current bibliography for each skill. This is a timely work with great insights on the transformational journey and the transformation process happening today in some congregations and, one way or another, with most of our pastors. Pr. Ted Coleman