Zealous faith can have a dangerous, dark side. While recent calls for radical Christians have challenged many to be more passionate about their faith, the down side can be a budding arrogance and self-righteousness that "accidentally" sneaks into our outlook.
In Accidental Pharisees, bestselling author Larry Osborne diagnoses nine of the most common traps that can ensnare Christians on the road to a deeper life of faith. Rejecting attempts to turn the call to follow Christ into a new form of legalism, he shows you how to avoid the temptations of pride, exclusivity, legalism, and hypocrisy,
Larry reminds us that attempts to fan the flames of full-on discipleship and call people to Christlikeness should be rooted in love and humility. Christians stirred by calls to radical discipleship, but unsure how to respond, will be challenged and encouraged to develop a truly Christlike zeal for God.
Discussion questions are available in the audiobook companion PDF download.
Pastor, author, and leadership consultant unpacks instruction for church leaders found in 1 Peter 5:1-4 where they are exhorted to shepherd the flock among them.
Some instruction is timeless. Regardless of the age in which we live, certain instruction carries no expiration on its relevance. Pastor, author, and leadership consultant, Larry Osborne has discovered this to be the case with instruction on how to be a good leader. The best, most practical advice comes from the Bible, and in particular, 1 Peter 5:1-4. It's in this short passage where leaders are exhorted to shepherd the flock among them.
Unfortunately, most modern leaders have precious little experience tending sheep, and many of the implications that were well understood when Peter penned these words are lost on today's reader. Osborne finds the parallels to be numerous, well-worth reviewing and understanding anew.
A shepherd leads them to water even when they fear it. A shepherd never allows one sick lamb to destroy the flock. A shepherd lays down his life for his sheep . . .
When leaders truly understand Peter's words of exhortation to lead like a shepherd, then they will begin to see the path that leads them to Leading Well.
Sticky Leaders begins with the topic that most books about innovation avoid altogether: failure.
Most books on leadership make it sound as if successful innovation is the end result of a carefully followed formula. But you can't have innovation without change. The simple fact is that when it comes to any new venture, failure is the surest result of the inevitable change process.
Respected pastor and author, Larry Osborne, explains how understanding this dirty little secret behind innovation can bring both stability and creativity to organizations, especially those with teams of people that focus on innovation, creativity, new ideas, and problem-solving.
In Sticky Leaders, you'll learn:
- How to encourage innovation's most powerful igniters and accelerators
- How to avoid the most common killers of innovation
- How to recognize and break through ceilings of complexity and competency
- The six pitfalls of growth and what you can do to avoid them
- The three questions every leader needs to ask before launching any new endeavor
- The counterintuitive practices that successful change agents and serial innovators use to greatly increase their odds of success.
Using the wisdom and principles found in this book, you will be prepared to lead dynamically without causing uncertainty or insecurity in your organization or ministry.
In Sticky Church, author and pastor Larry Osborne makes the case that closing the back door of your church is even more important than opening the front door wider. He offers a time-tested strategy for doing so: sermon-based small groups that dig deeper into the weekend message and tightly velcro members to the ministry. It's a strategy that enabled Osborne's congregation to grow from a handful of people to one of the larger churches in the nation?without any marketing or special programming. Sticky Church tells the inspiring story of North Coast Church's phenomenal growth and offers practical tips for launching your own sermon-based small group ministry. Topics include: Why stickiness is so importantWhy most of our discipleship models don't work very wellWhy small groups always make a church more honest and transparent. What makes groups grow deeper and sticker over timeSticky Church is an ideal book for church leaders who want to start or retool their small group ministry?and velcro their congregation to the Bible and each other.
Innovation has a secret that sets apart the serial innovator from the one-hit wonder. In Innovation’s Dirty Little Secret, Larry Osborne reveals the hidden secret behind serial innovation and shows leaders how provide new levels of stability and creativity to any organization.
Planting and leading a new church is not easy. There are the inevtiable setbacks and challenges that come with launching anything new. And the process will test and try a leader's faith, as they face discouragment, loneliness, and failure.
In this book, pastor and seasoned chuch leader Wayne Cordeiro speaks the truth in love, offering wisdom and insight to prepare leaders as they face the difficulties and hardships of church planting, while providing encouragement and inspiration for the journey. 'Sifted' is based on Jesus' encouragement to Peter in Luke 22 to keep his faith and minister to others from his weakness. An experienced practitioner, Wayne shares the things he wishes he'd known when he was starting a new church.
With additional stories from other prominent, seasoned leaders, each chapter includes a thought provoking, challenge question to develop a heart that is surrendered to God, focused on 'being and becoming' versus 'doing and accomplishing.' Wayne writes about a healthy integration and balance of personal care and leadership amidst the difficulties of the church planting journey. Loneliness and discouragement are normal in church planting, but God cares more about our journey of faith and who we are becoming than our worldly accomplishments and the churches we build. Church planting is an ongoing process of surrender, personal growth and character development. The book will challenge leaders to persevere and rededicate themselves to their calling, their marriage, and their family.
Instead of a 'how to' book on models and methods, this is a combination of a self-assessment book that challenges leaders' scorecards of success, encourages leaders to realize that they are not alone in what they are experiencing, and provides wisdom for the long haul to position younger leaders for a life of ministry and finish strong.
The greatest challenge facing most churches today isn't getting people through the front door---it's keeping them from leaving through the back door. In his new book, Larry Osborne reveals what it takes to cultivate a 'sticky church and reveals the strategy of sermon-based small groups to retain members while leading your church into even deeper levels of discipleship.
Serving as a church leader can be a tough assignment. Whatever your role, odds are you've known your share of the frustration, conflict, and disillusionment that comes with silly turf battles, conflicting vision, and marathon meetings.
No doubt, you've asked yourself, 'How did it get this way?'
With practical and accessible wisdom, Larry Osborne explains how it got this way. He exposes the hidden roadblocks, structures, and goofy thinking that sabotage even the best intentioned teams. Then with time-tested and proven strategies he shows what it takes to get (and keep) a board, staff, and congregation on the same page.
Whatever your situation; from start-up phase, to mid-sized, to megachurch, Osborne has been there. As the pastor of North Coast Church he's walked his board, staff, and congregation through the process. Now with warm encouragement and penetrating insights he shares his secrets to building and maintaining a healthy and unified ministry team that sticks together for the long haul.
