Why you should read this book

Scott Wilson loves the local church and he loves to see God’s kingdom advance. He says that in this book we’re “addressing God-sized visions, kingdom purposes, and major transitions that shape the future and effectiveness of our churches” (24). Through the course of the book he opens up how to see transitions in your church, garner their momentum at the right time, and propel towards a vision of where God is leading. But managerial techniques are not the main purpose of this book. Pastor Wilson’s main burden “is that the people who read [this book] will come to the conclusion that they care far more about God’s calling than their own comfort…[because] without passion for Christ, strategy is only manipulation of others for selfish gain” (39-40).

Wilson discusses how to gain clear vision, not as a magical formula of prayer, but in our day-to-day walk with God.  With clear vision, he shares wisdom on how to take advantage of momentum so for perpetuating growth. At this point he makes the wise observation that as a church vision and excitement only come from the Lord. Thus he stresses the importance of corporate prayer and gives some advice on how to approach leading your church through this. He ends the book with advice on how to avoid major problems in growth, keeping the pastor’s soul fresh, and how to keep vision and faithfulness into the future.

Two concerns about the book

I enjoyed the book and found it very helpful. However, there are two observations I would make.

  1. While this book has loads of godly wisdom and principles on leadership that are thoroughly Biblical, Pastor Wilson does not tie them down to the Biblical text very often. In a book on pastoral leadership, this is a detriment to helping them pastor according to God’s Word. For example, the chapter on corporate prayer has only one reference to Scripture, while the entire book of Acts is a goldmine for proving the power of his points! He does this well in Chapter 10 in applying Hebrews 12, and I wish he had done this elsewhere in the book.
  2. Pastor Wilson is very adamant on a pastor’s need for a mentor. He says, “If you don’t do anything else I suggest in these pages, find a life coach” (174). Specifically, he recommends getting a profession life coach. He says, “to avoid sticky conflict of interests, I looked for someone outside our church” (163). The point of a pastor (or any Christian for that matter!) needing a mentor in the faith is obviously Biblical. Every Timothy needs their Paul; every Elisha needs their Elijah. The concern I have here is the concept of a “life-coach” outside of the local church. The church is given to care for each other, support each other, and minister to each other – pastors included. In my view, this is an argument for the essential nature of a plurality of elders for a healthy local church. As I would see Scripture teaching, these pastors care for each other; correcting, encouraging, and leading each other. (Would Paul have thought it better for Peter to have a life coach to help him see his sinful behavior towards the Gentiles?) My concern here is that Pastor Wilson’s obviously Biblical advice is clothed in such a way so as to undermine the robust local church that God intends to build. I know that undermining the vitality of the eldership in a local church is not Pastor Wilson’s intentions. Nonetheless, I present the observation as a concern for consideration.

Three things you should learn from Pastor Scott

There were three characteristics about Pastor Scott that permeate through the book: wisdom, humility, and the Holy Spirit. Pastor Scott is a humble man. This is seen in how he responds to correction from the Lord, and processes the needs of his church. You should trust humble men. His wisdom in following the Scriptures on how to care for people, for their enjoyment of God and active involvement in the local church, is an example to follow. And you see, from cover to cover, a heavy leaning on the Holy Spirit for life and vision that sets this book apart. What struck me about this book is that Pastor Scott takes the best of what there is to learn from business and management wisdom and subjects it to the work of the Holy Spirit for the purposes of Christ.

Verdict

I think this is a good book, and I would recommend men thinking about pastoral ministry, or pastors who are currently working through transitions as a church, to read this book. The book is admittedly very narrow in his application to the broad demands of pastoral ministry, yet it is unique and helpful to this particular need in leadership. But due to Pastor Wilson’s example of humility and vision, I think it is helpful to read even for those who might not consider themselves in the throws of chaotic change in their church.

Buy the book: Steering through Chaos by Scott Wilson

** I did receive this book for free from the publisher for review, but the comments and thoughts are entirely my own.**