Kenneth O. Gangel, Feeding and Leading: Practical Handbook on Administration for Churches and Christian Organizations. Baker Books, 1989.
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Referenced in: Church Administration, General Manuals
LifeandLeadership.com Summary
This text is not as much a comprehensive church administration manual (little material on finance, facilities, etc.) as it is an equipping guide for the areas of ministry that fall along the leadership-management continuum. It operates from a model of spiritual-servant leadership, and translates this concept into tasks such as organizing, goal-setting, short- and long-range planning, recruiting volunteers, managing change, motivating, delegating, team-building, decision-making, communicating, chairing business meetings, conducting evaluations, etc. Gangel does a better job than most in elevating the church’s administrative tasks beyond mere secular organizational standards by emphasizing that the church is a thriving spiritual organism through which God does his work. Another strength is Gangel’s frequent stories from actual church leaders as they struggle with applying the concepts. Each chapter includes reflective questions.
A few weaknesses are worth noting. Readers who are familiar with current literature on leadership and management may find his language outdated. Also, while many of his charts and graphs are helpful (e.g. Figure 23, Problem-Solving Approach, 189), others can be difficult to follow. Beyond these few weaknesses, this is a helpful volume.
From the Publisher
Every church and Christian organization has a leadership and administrative team. But how well is that team functioning? Feeding and Leading, now available in paperback, addresses this key component to effective ministry.
Kenneth O. Gangel begins with the foundations of the administrative process and then focuses on the vocational Christian leader-pastor, president, principal, mission executive-targeting such issues as spiritual leadership, style, organization of work, goal setting, and long-range planning. The book also covers topics such as: recruiting and training volunteers, motivating workers, delegating responsibility, making decisions, building good working relationships, communicating, chairing business meetings
Feeding and Leading contains over forty figures that illustrate the practical principles outlined by the author. Self-evaluation questions, sample job descriptions, and other helpful tools for Christian administrators are also included.
About the Author
Kenneth O. Gangel is scholar in residence at Toccoa Falls College in Toccoa Falls, Georgia, and distinguished professor emeritus of Christian education at Dallas Theological Seminary. He is the author of more than twenty books and has written over eight hundred articles for journals and periodicals.
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