Steve Chalke draws together these 'lessons' in the form of illustrations and experiences from the history and development of Church.co.uk. His writing is organised, clear, fun and easy to read; addressing some serious elements of leadership in the church today. Whilst not in any way a manual for ministers, it offers entertaining reminders of just why they do what they do. Additionally, for the rest of us, it presents a view of how a contemporary leader does his job and how we can help. Less radical than some of the 'emerging' church leaders; less hierarchical than 'traditional' church, but still structured; this book should be read by any Christian seeking to understand how it is still possible to talk of taking the church into the future. Each of the 25 lessons is presented as a short chapter headed with a clever paraphrase, a brief examination of these will provide a sufficient over-view of the contents: Others only ever see your mountain-top experiences Respond, don't react; You can't be everyone's best mate; Every 'yes' implies at least one 'no'; People matter more than programmes; Action leads to insight more often that insight leads to action; The journey with others is slower than the journey alone; Under promise, over deliver; Nothing is ever quite as good or bad as it first seems; Vision and frustration are the same thing; Success is three days between three crises; Great leadership is measured by what's left after you're gone; Individualism is the enemy of individuality; Approach every problem with an open mind rather than an open mouth; Admiration works best from a distance; Trust evolves, it is never a simple 'on' or 'off' affair; Praise is the miracle tool; Keep the main thing the main thing; People follow people not disembodied principles; Inclusion never demands conformity; Nothing is so simple that it cannot be misunderstood; Followers expect easy answers, leaders know there are none; No progress without process; You can't do what you can't imagine; If it ain't broke, break it; An afterword - tomorrow's change agents. If you want to know more then read the book!

In this book Steve Chalke steers a path away from the controversy of his last book and into fairly safe territory - that of the difficulties in running a church or other Christian project in the 21st century. The book features 25 principles that Steve has learned in his years as a pastor and leader of organisations including Oasis, offered in short chunks, usually 3-4 pages each. The principles include things such as "vision and frustration are the same thing" and "success is three days between two crises" and are illustrated by events in Steve's life from which he has learned. This was a surprisingly introspective book and showed very clearly the difficulties of living a life in the spotlight with the criticism and hurtful comments that seem to go hand-in-hand with sticking one's head above the parapet. I had wondered if this would be another American-style self help book but it wasn't that, it read rather more like reflective memoirs of the challenges in running a ministry in today's world. Many of Steve's insights were very helpful, he quotes other writers and notable people such as Martin Luther King, Winston Churchill and more and the book is easy to read with Steve's engaging and confiding style to the fore. I would have appreciated perhaps some more depth and exploration of the principles he offers but it was a helpful and enjoyable book.