No matter where we serve in the church or in the Kingdom, we should always want to serve better. Brain Savvy Leaders by Charles Stone will give you insights to improve your serve and your leadership, by applying relevant scientific research on how the brain works to ministry.
What sets this book apart from other leadership books—especially many Christian ones—is the solid combination of Biblical values and scientific research. I love how author Charles Stone—who is a lead pastor by the way and not a neuroscientist, which positively affects the readability of the book—keeps referring to the Bible as his foundation, but uses brain research to make his point.
And that research is presented in a way that makes sense and is engaging at the same time. Even if you already know your stuff when it comes to the brain (I’ve read multiple books and articles on the brain, especially focused on teenage brains), you’ll still learn powerful applications to doing ministry.
The book focuses on four core areas of leadership:
- Emotional regulation
- Team collaboration
- Personal productivity
- Change management
Each of these areas is discussed in depth with easy-to-remember mnemonic devices to help us remember the tools.
The chapter on change management should be required reading for each and every (church) leader, as it explains why so many people resist change and how to work through this with them. We all know how initiated changes can fail spectacularly in the church, even in ministry teams—well, this book shows you how to avoid that. Read and apply.
I loved the personal, encouraging tone of the book. Stone shares several personal stories, including some failures, and manages to maintain a warm, relational approach throughout the book—no small feat considering the somewhat dry matter of brain research.
Brain-Savvy Leaders: The Science of Significant Ministry is a book I will be rereading to get all out of it that I can. I underlined a lot of powerful tools and tips I’ll be trying to apply for certain.
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