Pastor A recommended this book, so I borrowed it from him, and it took me a long time to finish reading it. It’s not a book I can easily resonant with, so it took me longer to think through as I read. I took notes as I read, and even with that, I can’t tell you specifics of what I read! But I did find the book helpful as I lead volunteers in the church.

Here are a few random takeaways for me, though it may or may not reflect what the author intended. These are things I remember without looking at my notes:

*Organizations should have a moral purpose. *Leaders must keep the organization accountable on its moral purpose, as well as keeping workers/volunteers accountable to that moral purpose. *Leaders must give opportunities and challenges for workers/volunteers to grow. *Risk is necessary for growth.  *Leaders lead by their example, and that requires restraint. *One meaning of equity is to give everyone access to opportunity to grow. *Leaders build trust by taking everyone seriously. *Trust is build by doing what you say you would do. That includes keeping the organization accountable to the vision and moral purpose. *Having an environment where people can grow includes being authentic. *Leaders should define a role but also allow room for creative expression of how their job should be done. *Volunteers want to be challenged because they believe in the moral purpose and want to contribute to that purpose. They would not volunteer otherwise.

2 Responses to “Leading Without Power by Max DePree”

  1. Aaron Says:

    These are all very good points and from a quick glance I believe I agree with them. Leading music ministry is fun because I am dealing with an artistic medium. And with artists (or aspiring artists or wannabe artists) there comes varying levels of creativeness and the desire for self-expression. It is important to acknowledge and support their growth while staying true to the overall purpose and vision of the ministry.

  2. Joyful Says:

    And music does have an important moral purpose. As a leader you keep the others focused on that main purpose. I think this is what I got most from this book. I am not doing my job as a leader if I do not keep volunteers on the church’s main purpose.