Organix
Signs of Leadership in a Changing Church
By Bob Whitesel Published
Does your leadership style fit new ways of doing church--leadership that is organic and elastic and that finds ways to seize God-given opportunities? Looking back and drawing on the ancient Christian tradition, Bob Whitesel describes seven traitsfor successful leadership, which he characterizes by seven symbols:
O (the Greek symbol theta) – the first letter of the Greek word theos stresses that God is the source of the burden for others and provides the power to help them.
Rx (the medical prescription symbol) – an emphasis on addressing the spiritual and physical health of leaders.
G (a stylized “G” for “graffiti”)– the edgy, colorful, and artful collages that help define contemporary organizations.
A (inspired by the recycle symbol) – the idea of recycling places, experiences and people rather than discarding them.
N - emerging networks that connect people more quickly, efficiently, precisely and continuously.
I - an emphasis on “incarnation”, a going “in the flesh” to serve others rather than sending surrogates.
X (the Jerusalem cross with a number in each quadrant) – four types of measurement observed in Jerusalem (Acts 2:42-47), which at their core point to Christ’s work on the cross.
Taken together, thesesymbols spell out the word “organix” and represent a fundamentally new way tothink about your church and how you can best lead.
Endorsements
As usual, Bob Whitesel brings fresh new insights to frustrating old problems for local church leaders. In this refreshing book, readers will find important keys to managing the complexities of both the "organism" and the "organization" of the contemporary church.
--Charles Arn, author, speaker, and president, Church Growth, Inc.
Dr. Whitesel in Organix: Signs of Leadership in a Changing Church gives wise insight and practical principles about millennial leadership. Whitesel’s years of teaching, study, and practice come forth very clearly in this book. I was impressed by the book’s freshness, clarity, and layout. Great job!
--Joel Comiskey, Ph.D., president of Joel Comiskey Group, www.joelcomiskeygroup.com
If leadership studies have taught us anything, it is the importance of staying in touch with the times and providing leadership that helps people negotiate these times. In his latest offering, Bob Whitesel talks about millennial leadership for the church—a way to lead the people of God to respond missionally to issues that emerge out of the postmodern milieu. Bob Whitesel has proven to be a reliable, clear-thinking, practical guide for complicated tasks such as this. If these fast-paced, ever-changing, unpredictable times have you as church leaders a bit disoriented, this book may provide just the right handles to regain your footing.
--Al Tizon, Associate Professor of Holistic Ministry at Palmer Theological Seminary and director of Word & Deed Network of the Evangelicals for Social Action
American society is undergoing dramatic changes, and so too is the Church. Bob Whitesel offers an insightful and well-researched recipe for the cultivation of authentic, organic leadership for this new reality. This book functions not only as a helpful guide for a new generation of millennial leaders but also as a wake-up call and transformational challenge for all those clergy still embracing a “modern” approach to congregational leadership.
--Scott Thumma, PhD, author of The Other 80 Percent:Turning Your Church's Spectators into Active Participants, Hartford Institute for Religion Research, Hartford Seminary
"Dr. Whitesel’s well-researched book is lucid and forward thinking, providing a complete toolkit for the relational, spiritually impassioned church using images from graffiti to information clouds. He organizes and visualizes this toolkit in such a way that even distracted pastors or leaders will remember both the parts and the whole. It is one of the rare books that saves its best chapters for last. I highly recommend that churches work through this book together, reflecting upon their vision, their actual behavior within their cultures, and their call."
--Reverend Rebecca Ver Straten-McSparran, Founding pastor, Tribe of Los Angeles; Director, L.A. Film Studies Center
"Leading churches today is an even more complex challenge that it was in 'the good old days.' Bob Whitesel's fertile imagination merges perennial leadership wisdom with contemporary perspectives and metaphors to produce a very engaging resource. I hope this text influences the future of thousands of churches."
--George G. Hunter III, Dean and Distinguish Professor, Emeritus, School of World Mission and Evangelism, Asbury Theological Seminary
When I take the young staff of Scum of the Earth Church to Christian leadership conferences, I invariably find them huddled together somewhere in the lobby of the host megachurch, having escaped the program taking place inside the sanctuary. If you want to understand why that happens, read Organix by Bob Whitesel.
Bob gets it. As I read the pages of Organix, I kept saying to myself, “Yes, that’s it!” Whitesel has put into a well-researched, coherent form so many of the lessons God has taught me over the past decade while leading a church of people thirty years younger than I. Great teachers tell us the things we have found to be true but never had the words to express. For those interested in how the church needs to look in the years ahead, this book is an extremely valuable resource. Read it.
--Mike Sares, pastor of Scum of the Earth Church, Denver, and author of Pure Scum: The Left-Out, the Right-Brained, and the Grace of God
Tired of cliché books, opinions, and theories on leadership? Organix is based on quantifiable research and qualified conclusions written by a man skilled in the art of both. For those interested in leading by faith not fear, through cooperation not control, and into a future not constrained by the past, this book will light the way.
--Dr. Mark DeYmaz, Pastor, Mosaic Church of Central Arkansas; Author, Building a Healthy Multi-ethnic Church and Ethnic Blends
"Bob Whitesel is one of the top two or three creative writers on church ministry in the United States today. With Organix: Signs of Leadership in a Changing Church, Dr. Whitesel presents a unique combination of spirituality and practicality. His keen analysis and precise prescriptions will help us all embrace Millennial leaders in our churches."
--Gary L. McIntosh, Professor of Christian Ministry & Leadership, Talbot School of Theology, Biola University
Wise leaders will interact and discuss the ideas in this book. Not to be cool. Not to be relevant. Not even necessarily to agree with all of them. But to be biblical and think critically. To be effective. To make sure you're seeing the whole leadership picture. After all, the church has never been about being cool but about joining God on his mission to reconcile the world to Himself. I welcome Bob's insight in this endeavor, and I think he's offered us a valuable tool for evaluating our leadership practices as we march toward an eternity where Jesus is making all things new.
--Ed Stetzer, coauthor, Transformational Church, www.edstetzer.com
About the Author
Bob Whitesel
Bob Whitesel is a speaker, professor and award-winning writer on the organic church, missional leadership and church growth; who has been called by a national magazine: “the key spokesperson on change theory in the church today.” He holds two doctorates (D.Min. and Ph.D.) from Fuller Theological Seminary where he was awarded the Donald McGavran Award for “Outstanding Scholarship in Church Growth.” The author of nine books, his book Inside the Organic Church, Learning from 12 Emerging Congregations (Abingdon Press) was chosen by Outreach Magazine as a finalist for Resource of the Year in Postmodern Outreach. He serves as Professor of Missional Leadership at Wesley Seminary at Indiana Wesleyan University (www.wesley.indwes.edu <http://www.wesley.indwes.edu> ) and is a sought-after speaker and consultant (www.BobWhitesel.com <http://www.BobWhitesel.com> ).
