Studying the Bible Manuals
Puzzles with a Purpose
This is a Bible study tool on how to study the parables of Jesus. It is a self-study manual that my dad used in his discipling work as he taught his disciples how to study the Bible.
Hebrew Poetry
This is a Bible study tool on how to study Hebrew Poetry. Much of the Old Testament is written in Hebrew Poetry and this self-study manual will help you understand how Hebrew Poetry is written and how to interpret all of the nuances of Hebrew Poetry.
Figures and Idioms
This is a Bible study tool on understanding the figures and idioms of speech used in the Bible. These special forms of language are important to recognize to understand certain passages in the Bible. This self-study tool helps us recognize them and how to interpret them.
Word Study Manual
This is a Bible study tool that helps us learn how to do word studies and use a concordance to trace a word and its uses in the Bible. This self-study work aids us in interpreting and understanding how words are used.
Disputed Practices
This is a Bible study tool that originated from a course taught by my dad and Jeff Imbach at Jamaica Bible College. Interpreting and applying Biblical principles can often cause a wide range of 'do this or don't do that' in churches. This self-study manual helps us learn to identify Biblical principles and helps us navigate how to apply them in our churches.
Miscellaneous Leadership Manuals
Reading on the Run
Not everything written needs to read at the same level. This manual helps a learner an invaluable skill - how to read for information and introduces a reading continuum. Leaders need to be able to process a lot of material and data. This manual introduces a process for reading at the appropriate level for the material. For serious students, this is a necessary skill to attain.
Coming to Conclusions on Leadership Styles
This manual examines the different ways that leaders exert their influence. The whole topic of leadership styles is complex. This looks at the different dynamics such as the leader's natural style, the maturity level of the followers and the ministry context. Developing a multi-styled approach is something to take a good look at. This allows a leader to choose a leadership style that would best fit the situation. The apostle Paul is used as a model of a multi-styled leader.
Short History of Leadership Theory
In this manual, an outline and explanation of the major eras of leadership theory (1841-1986) is laid out. It describes the different theories people had about leadership, where leaders came from and how to identify a leader. Research methodologies have changed over time. This is the research that my father used to evaluate his own definitions and understanding of leadership.
Bible Centered Leadership
These texts were all used in the Bible Centered Leadership courses.
Having a Ministry that Lasts
Influencing leaders to become Bible centered leaders was a major focus for my dad. This manual was used in his courses on Bible Centered Leadership. A paradigm for establishing 'core' work in the Bible lies at the center of being a Bible Centered leader. An equipping formula for mastering the Word of God is introduced as well.
Leadership Perspectives: How to Study the Bible for Leadership
This is a companion manual that goes with the Leadership Values: Book-by-Book analysis. It introduces a framework of leadership definitions, models and insights to use when approaching the Bible. There are a lot of examples of how to learn leadership insights from the Bible.
Macro Lessons: Moses
This is an article which examines the major leadership lessons that we can learn from Moses. There are seven 'macro lessons' which means that they are lessons and principles that we can apply to our own leadership. This article is an example of how to study the Bible as a leadership resource.
Important Position Papers and Articles
My father had a unique process for his approach to writing and developing material. Before he produced fuller treatments of a topic, he often wrote and article or position paper to help him cover issues or topics that were important to him. Sometimes these became the background to material that he developed at a deeper level. Sometimes these 'papers' became pieces that he used to popularize some aspect of his research. There are hundreds of other articles that he wrote but I have selected these as examples of his thinking.
Personal Leadership Development
Listen Up Leaders
This is one of the early articles that he wrote about the difficulty of leadership and the challenge of finishing well. In particular, he examines the idea of a pivotal point in leadership development. Also, this is where he first mentions things we can do to enhance our chances of finishing well.
The Emerging Leader
This article is a brief overview of leadership emergence theory. It is interesting because this was written early and gives us a glimpse of how these concepts were articulated near the beginning.
Boundary Processing
This paper covers what was being learned about the transitions leaders go through as they move from one development phase to the next. This is a critical topic in leadership development because these transitions which are called boundaries are times that can be very difficult and confusing. Gaining perspective is a critical part of negotiating a boundary/transition well.
Isolation Processing
This paper is about how God shapes a leader who is facing isolation in ministry. Our research reveals that about 90% of the leaders we have studied have gone through significant isolation. Understanding the dynamics of this kind of processing can be invaluable for every leader. Key Biblical leaders who went through isolation are studied for lessons to learn from their experience.
Ministry Philosophy
This paper examines what a ministry philosophy is and how it is developed. Every leader operates with a ministry philosophy but many are implicit and not explicit. This paper helps you being the process of articulating your philosophy.
Value Driven Leadership
This article is written to challenge leaders towards the end of their leadership development journey to take the time to write out their ministry philosophy. To make explicit the values that they hold and have used in their ministry. This enables a leader to pass on these values to upcoming leaders with great power. This is a major function for a leader who is in afterglow.
The Paradigm Shift
This article takes a look at the dynamic of going through a paradigm shift. It defines what a paradigm shift is and outlines why God uses paradigm shifts and how they are important for our leadership development.
Social Base Processing
This paper looks at the network of relationships that a leader has established which is called the social base. It outlines four basic social base needs that a leader has to get met and how to develop a healthy social base. There are a number of examples of patterns that leaders have used to meet their social base needs given. Many of the reasons why leaders don't finish well are connected directly to problems in their social base. This paper can help provide a lens to examine and make healthy corrections where needed.
Finishing Well
This article contains the notes and information on my dad’s major challenge to leaders around the world. The warning is "Few Leaders Finish Well" and the challenge is "how are you going to finish?" This presentation was done at a leadership conference in Colorado in 1994. It contains all of the material such as characteristics of a leader who is finishing well, barriers to finishing well and things we can do to enhance our chances of finishing well. This is the original material that has been added to and adapted since this time.
Ultimate Contribution
This was the original article written about legacy. It describes the research methodology and source and outlines what he learned in the first study on legacy. It categorizes 13 different areas of legacy for a leader. This becomes one of the four major factors for living a focused life.
Afterglow
This article was published near the end of my dad's career. Afterglow was a title that dad gave to the last development phase in a leader’s life. It describes a time when a leader basically steps out of things like direct ministry roles, positions of leadership responsibility and moves into a more 'indirect' season of leadership. As he was moving into a season of afterglow himself, he wrote about what he had learned up to that point in his research.
Bible Centered Leadership
Vanishing Breed
This is an article about the contemporary danger we face as the Bible becomes a less and less valued leadership resource. The challenge is to become a Bible centered leader which means using the valuable leadership resources God gives us in the Bible. It is based on Paul's exhortation to Timothy to continue to study and use the Scriptures because they are what a leader needs to be equipped and prepared for every leadership situation.
Miscellaneous
Mantle of a Mentor
This article was written from the notes that made up a plenary address for the International Foursquare Convention in 1993. Using the example of Elijah laying his mantle on Elisha as a model, the challenge of being an effective mentor was given. Mentoring as a major help for leaders who want to finish well is emphasized. The challenge of finishing well was a center piece for this plenary session.
Gender and Leadership
This article describes the learning journey and the paradigm shift my dad went through concering the issue of women in leadership. I think this is one of the most important contributions he made to a critical topic. It outlines the typical positions that people take on this issue, tackles the difficult Biblical passages looking for truth and insight, and opens the way for women to become the leaders that God has designed them to be.
Complete Guidance Package
In this article, my dad compiles everything he has learned about getting guidance and decision making. As we all know, getting clear guidance from God is so crucial at the pivotal moments of our leadership journey. But more than that, getting connected to God by following some guidelines for getting guidance is helpful in big decisions or little decisions. 7 guidance guidelines are given in this article that are so helpful for approaching every situation where we need guidance.
Passing on my Heritage
This is a very personal article about my dad's plan to pass on his heritage. He focuses primarily on the ministry aspects of his heritage and what he was doing specifically to leave his legacy behind. He also had a plan with my mother in terms of passing on his legacy to our family. I thought it would be interesting to include this article to give you a glimpse into the details and specific planning he made to contribute something to the future.
