Tony Morgan
In Killing Cockroaches, Tony Morgan shares some of what he has learned about leadership, particularly in the church context.
Style wise, the book reads like a not very well organised blog. The chapters are short and don’t seem to be grouped into any topical or logical order. This style is not a necessarily a bad thing, it may be quite a good thing for busy leaders looking for some quick help and encouragement. Given the structure of the book it may be easier to read one chapter a time than to try readings straight through many chapters in the same sitting.
A lot of the advice deals with the style and structure of how we do church ministry. Some of it is quite worthwhile. I do wonder though if the importance of being relevant is over-stated in the book. It is indeed a good thing to not create unnecessary barriers due to style however it is God not our efforts that change people and sometimes what needs to be said and what people are interested in hearing is different. Some of the people I’ve seen who are most effective at reaching out probably wouldn’t rank highly on most measures of being cool or relevant. It would be best to read this book alongside something about the substance of the message that the style and structure Killing Cockroaches talks about is meant to serve.
Other advice is more general and includes topics like focusing on what matters most, delegation, and creating healthy organisations. This material could be useful for people in any leadership context, not just the church.
Review copy courtesy of B&H Publishing Group and NetGalley
