Morph: The Texture of Leadership for Tomorrow's Church

Rating:
Summary: Indespensible Read
Review: A thorough and utterly engaging read on the nature and shape of emerging church leadership. This book needs to be read by everyone--young and old, amateur and expert. A great guide (and window?) into the texture of tomorrow's church landscape.

Rating:
Summary: Leadership God's way
Review: Ignore the reader from Lynn, MA's comment - he/she simply doesn't get it. There is something seriously wrong with 'Church' as we know it. It's become just another religion - yes my friend - almost all of them. It's clear that this person has not even read the book, let alone bought it, because if he/she did, they would have found it full of truth from God's Word, and would see leadership from a new plane.

I think the title will scare many a 'charasmatic' Christian, as we are so apt at seeing the world through our catch phrases and bumper sticker theology that it could sound like something New Age-y - but not so. Ron brilliantly describes leadership that made me go wow-wow-wow almost every page. I will have to read it five times just to grasp all truths in this jam packed book.

I am an artistic Christian, and Ron's methods certainly will help us re-define what the Church will look like in the next century. If you are happy and content with singing five songs, doing a message and taking up the offering - then by all means - help yourself - it's a free world. But if you long for different and higher dimensions in God, then I strongly suggest you read this book, not only if you are a leader, but also if you have any sphere of influence - which should be ALL Christians.

Thanks Ron - I don't know you, but I really enjoyed your journey and you have imparted truths which will change my life forever.

Rating:
Summary: best book i have ever read
Review: It helped my church go from 200 to 500 in just 2 months Ron Martoia is awsome he is one of the most influential authors I have ever read.

Rating:
Summary: some good... a little stuck
Review: Some good stuff here personally for those in leadership roles about your impact on others.

Morph's failings may be that it places a bit too much emphasis for the failure or success of a church on its leadership...
Okay. I know Ron may be seeing this, so I hope he discerns the big,
warm fuzzy, just-kidding-around smile on my face when I quote him here...

"Every leader I find in Scripture was sent into the future." pg. 118



huh?

I'm not sure I can go along with "they were sent into the future with a
future-map of just how things were supposed to play out. Some maps were
detailed; others were quite vague... Moses was sent with a future map.
Abraham was, David was, Jonah was, and Nehemiah was. All of them were
sent into the future."

One of the things I seem to see in a lot of books is the desire to read back into scripture leadership, organizational principles and even heroics when it comes to
characters that really weren't good leaders, had no organizational
principles and really weren't even that good.

I don't think Moses is a hero... I don't think we can learn a whole lot
from him leadership-wise other than by negative example. The older David
got, the more corrupt he seemed to be... he didn't end well or
heroically. I don't know that Jonah, Abraham and others were given a
leadership map so much as just some simple (albeit daunting) commands...
without much explanation.

I guess my real question is this. Ron says: "God gave vision to Moses,
Jeremiah, Daniel, Nehemiah, Paul and Peter... not to the committees they
chaired."
Well... okay. But for the most part, the old testament is a very
different milieu than that in which we operate with different kinds of
leaders. And fairly quickly (Acts 15) I see the church developing a
plurality of leadership. Yes- God gave Paul personal vision for his
travels. He also spoke to Paul through others... But the church as a
whole- it seems very quickly after it's formation they seemed to make
decisions as a "we" not an "I"

Is it possible that the new thing God is leading us into (to co-opt
Ron's terminology) is a flatter leadership structure, a plurality of
leaders, less dependence on the man or woman at the top? Less visionary
leaders and more visionary congregations?

Positive- "Paul changed methodologies whenever necessary to make sure the idiom, the language, and the
metaphors were all comprehensible and connecting with his audience... Is the church speaking a foreign
language or the language of its times?"
To me, that's the real heart of relevancy- is it accessible. Not is it enjoyable, entertaining, or whatever, but is it
even understandable.

Not so positive: "Leaders are the ones responsible for the flavor, feel and direction
of the local church. If the leaders aren't healthy, learning, dreaming, praying and creative individuals, then how
are we to expect the church to be any of those things?"
Why do the leaders determine the flavor, the feel and direction of the
church? What if we told the people that those things were their job, and we leaders would teach,
shepherd and pray? I know it's often a defacto thing that leaders do it all, but does it have to be that way?

a good book- some good insights... but I fear it ultimately embraces an old paradigm for leadership.

Rating:
Summary: Highly Recommended
Review: This is a groundbreaking book about Church leadership. As a pastor, it has given me new insights into leadership for the Twenty-first Century. A definite must-read.

Rating:
Summary: a postmodern experience
Review: You want to evoke change in yourself and your church? Do yourself a favor and 'Morph'. Viritually every page was a new experience. By far the best book on personal and corporate leadership I've read to date.