Learning Resources
Being a life-learner is characteristic of strong leaders. The following is a sampling of my personal reading library. Many of the classic business books have concepts that translate well into effective church management and provide explanations of complex business principles. Enjoy the read!
2012-2013 Compensation Handbook for Church Staff
The Purpose Driven Church
Rick Warren shares a proven five-part strategy that will enable your church to grow * warmer through fellowship * deeper through discipleship * stronger through worship * broader through ministry * larger through evangelism The Purpose Driven Church shifts the focus away from church building programs to emphasizing a people-building process. Warren says, ‘If you will concentrate on building people, God will build the church.’
The Certified Manager of Quality/Organizational Excellence Handbook
The quality function in all organizations is an evolving disciple. The management of quality crosses all functions of an organization requiring a comprehensive understanding of organizations as systems and an understanding of the ever increasing range of tools and technologies that quality professionals use. This handbook is a must for every manager’s bookshelf and deals with every aspect of management and is the preparatory handbook for the Certified Manager of Quality/Organizational Excellence exam.
When Teams Work Best
This book provides fascinating research of more than 6,000 team members and team leaders from a wide variety of industries, both public and private trying to determine what conditions contribute to a team’s ability to achieve goals. Whether you oversee a team of employees or a team of volunteers this is an enlightening read.
Church Clergy Tax Guide
Get a better understanding of U.S. tax laws as they relate to pastors and churches with the 2011 Church & Clergy Tax Guide; learn how tax laws apply to you, how to correctly report your federal income taxes and social security taxes, understand relevant exemptions, and reduce your tax liability as much as possible. You’ll also find easy-to-understand charts and real-life illustrations.
First Break All the Rules
This book by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman is based on research with over 80,000 managers and offers insight into what defines a great place to work. This book can help managers identify and create the right environment for their employees. Another must read for anyone who manages people.
Good to Great
This classic management book by Jim Collins offers some amazing insight into how leading companies manage to make the leap to a higher level. It describes what the leaders of these organizations look like and basic management principles that they operate by. This is a must read for anyone desiring to take an organization to the next level.
Managing For Dummies
Managing people is challenging at best but if done right can be one of the most rewarding experiences a person can have. This book takes complex concepts and provides practical tips on aspects of managing others.
Made to Stick
This book answers the question of whay some ideas thrive and others die and what can improve the chances of worthy ideas. Chip and Dan Heath tackle head-on these vexing questions and reveal the anatomy of ideas that stick and explain ways to make ideas stickier.
Human Resource Strategy
This book is written with the general manager in mind and provides a base of key organizational behavior material on why employees behave as they do and how to promote behavior required to implement a focused business strategy using staffing, development and reward systems.