Leadership Books

4D Impact: Smashing Barriers Like a Smart Church takes a critical and inspirational look at four aspects of 21st century church ministry: Technology, Hospitality, Worship, and Systems. Each of these aspects is key for developing vital churches and healthy church leaders. The author uses real life lessons from the 11-year journey of Impact Church, which is currently #5 out of the 100 fastest growing United Methodist congregations in the United States, and examples from churches and the market place, to inform, equip, and inspire the reader. 4D Impact offers: a diagnostic tool in each chapter to determine the current health and status of the reader's church, real time inspiration from practitioners who are experiencing health and growth, guidance for readers to discern their level of fitness for their church assignment--is the leader/reader well-matched, or mismatched?, and guidance for readers to determine if their church has reached a point of irreversible decline. From the 4D Impact Introduction: "I have been blessed to serve as the founding and lead pastor of what one of [the] original twenty-five leaders called a 'movement.' Twelve years ago we didn't set out to plant another United Methodist church--we envisioned a movement...I have learned a few things about church health and growth from my own experience as a church planner and from the many churches across the country that our team has supported and consulted with over the years. I have learned that the capital-C Church is full of grace, and I've learned that hard work and sacrifice are necessary for a local church to be vital and growing... This book is for all churches and church leaders seeking to become vital and growing, or to remain vital and growing. This book may challenge you--I hope in a healthy way. It centers on four key principles for developing healthy and growing churches that smash barriers: Technology, Hospitality, Worship, and Systems. I am a living witness to these principles. As we say at Impact Church, you aren't called to lead an ordinary church; you are called to lead a movement."

According to Fresh Expressions U.S., "a Fresh Expression is a form of church for our changing culture, established primarily for the benefit of those who are not yet part of any church." Fresh Expressions are introducing people to Jesus, expanding the kingdom, and revitalizing churches. Congregations need a practical and theological resource that can help them cultivate Fresh Expressions. As consultants who work nationwide and as innovative pastors, authors Michael Beck and Jorge Acevedo awaken congregational leaders and ministry teams to a distinctive Wesleyan approach for the Fresh Expressions movement. In Wesleyan Fresh Expressions, they show congregations how to cultivate and customize fresh expressions that fit their local context. They motivate ministry teams to take risks, experiment, and when necessary, fail well. On April 2, 1739, John Wesley went to a field just outside what was then the city limits of Bristol, England. There he tried a missional innovation called field preaching. Thousands of people showed up, many of whom who had no connection with a church. Today, most Methodists and other Wesleyans don't know their own story. Lost in the milieu of divisive issues that threaten to tear the church apart, Wesleyans have forgotten their DNA as a renewal movement, born not from doctrinal disputes but from a missional imperative. In this sense, the Fresh Expressions movement is the most "Methodist" thing in the denomination today. This iteration of the Spirit is taking it to the fields again. Wesleyan Fresh Expressions will help guide the way.

"A perceptive and practical book about why our calendars so rarely reflect our priorities and what we can do to regain control."--ADAM GRANT

"Carey's book will help you reorganize your life. And then you can share a copy with someone you care about."--SETH GODIN

You deserve to stop living at an unsustainable pace. An influential podcaster and thought leader shows you how.

Overwhelmed. Overcommitted. Overworked. That's the false script an inordinate number of people adopt to be successful. Does this sound familiar:

● Slammed is normal.
● Distractions are everywhere.
● Life gets reduced to going through the motions.

Tired of living that way? At Your Best gives you the strategies you need to win at work and at home by living in a way today that will help you thrive tomorrow.

Influential podcast host and thought leader Carey Nieuwhof understands the challenges of constant pressure. After a season of burnout almost took him out, he discovered how to get time, energy, and priorities working in his favor. This approach freed up more than one thousand productive hours a year for him and can do the same for you.

At Your Best will help you
● replace chronic exhaustion with deep productivity
● break the pattern of overpromising and never accomplishing enough
● clarify what matters most by restructuring your day
● master the art of saying no, without losing friends or influence
● discover why vacations and sabbaticals don't really solve your problems
● develop a personalized plan to recapture each day so you can break free from the trap of endless to-dos

Start thriving at work and at home as you discover how to be at your best.

Do you feel awkward at networking events? Do you wonder what your date really thinks of you? Do you wish you could decode people? You need to learn the science of people.

As a human behavior hacker, Vanessa Van Edwards created a research lab to study the hidden forces that drive us. And she's cracked the code. In Captivate, she shares shortcuts, systems, and secrets for taking charge of your interactions at work, at home, and in any social situation. These aren't the people skills you learned in school. This is the first comprehensive, science backed, real life manual on how to captivate anyone--and a completely new approach to building connections.

Just like knowing the formulas to use in a chemistry lab, or the right programming language to build an app, Captivate provides simple ways to solve people problems. You'll learn, for example...

- How to work a room: Every party, networking event, and social situation has a predictable map. Discover the sweet spot for making the most connections.
- How to read faces: It's easier than you think to speed-read facial expressions and use them to predict people's emotions.
- How to talk to anyone: Every conversation can be memorable--once you learn how certain words generate the pleasure hormone dopamine in listeners.

When you understand the laws of human behavior, your influence, impact, and income will increase significantly. What's more, you will improve your interpersonal intelligence, make a killer first impression, and build rapport quickly and authentically in any situation--negotiations, interviews, parties, and pitches. You'll never interact the same way again.