Canoeing the Mountains: Christian Leadership in Uncharted Territory

I highly recommend this book for Christian leaders. I read this as part of my MBA program and have gone back to it countless times. So much so that now I am taking my entire leadership team through it. This book offers tremendous insight into the world that we live in today and the leadership required for the church now and in the future. I believe this book has application beyond just the church, however. I work in healthcare, a constant changing environment. I find the principles in this book are highly applicable for any Christian leader walking through change. This book takes insights from Lewis and Clark’s expedition and applies it to the world of leadership in insightful ways. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

Great book on leadership. Interesting, because it’s a true story, and the narrative helps break up the technical/leadership portions. This makes it an easier read if you lean more toward fiction or stories vs. non-fiction/ sel-help. Good lessons.

Great book! I'm not going to write a full out review of the book but basic things. 1) I LOVE the Lewis and Clark references in this book!! I'm living in the Northwest (Idaho) and really resonate with him because I love outdoors, discovery, and adventure. After reading this book I now have a name and further inspiration for the coffee shop church concert venue I'm going to plant in the next few years. 2) I bought this book as part of the pastoral meeting I attend once and month and we met and talked about this book. 3) The book basically has 3 sections we (the pastoral meeting) agreed; Inspiration - Administration - Demonstration (my words). Inspiration; this part of the book ROCKED. MY. WORLD! I love the inspiring reframing he gave to the post-Christendom world we are in/entering. SO much good stuff in this part. If you read nothing in this book, read the first few chapters. I felt what the author did in this first section could have been the entire tone of the book...(*spoilers*) whereas I feel the last two sections veered away from this gold and became a guy on the map (Lewis and Clark on the Missouri River) trying to write about what they would experience off the map (crossing the Lemhi Pass and ditching the canoes), but in the mindset with the experience and education of "on the map" thinking and practice, which he spent the entire first section of the book refuting. I still, however, feel there were some good things to be wrought in the last couple sections. Administration; in this section he started talking about competency ON the map in order to lead OFF the map. Some good stuff. Demonstration; I felt like this was the part of the book where the author brought his own experience to the table and tried to help us get a glimpse of the way CURRENT church leaders can try and lead people into new uncharted territory - which for baptists is quite difficult, even though he's a presby. :-) This is were I think he was going back to his "on the map" thinking for how to lead people off the map, which I tried to read from the perspective of a church leader in a well established church who is trying to figure out how to navigate this historic church full of old crotchety unchanging pew dwellers to move on from their old thinking and see what the LORD is doing. Many of these congregations will die off, many of which - honestly - should. For heath in the vine, you have to prune. Christianity is not dying - Christendom is dying - which I believe is a good thing. 4) I GOT the concept he was trying to make with the last two sections, but it felt like he was undoing all of the dreaming and inspirational aspects of his first section by trying to approach the rest of it with administrative charts, graphs, and "church growth" or "churchy smartiepantsness." Which he may or may not agree that the kind of church leadership we have experienced (specifically in the American West) is moving beyond much of the syncretism of business and Church - we need to kick corporate out of the marriage bed of the bride and the lamb. If anything THIS I believe is going to be one of the defining marks of the future of the Christian Church. 5) As a current church leader going into the world of church planting, I feel that if nothing else, the first section of this book has inspired me and driven me into a great excitement for being able to pave a new road for the future of the Christian Church in the world as we manifest the presence of our LORD Jesus Christ in this world. 6) One of the main things I believe in the discussion of the new direction of the Christian Church in America is that the churches that will survive and be the healthiest are those who have a strong/high view of scripture and the authority of the Word of God above and over individuals, the local churches, and denominations. The Bolsinger touches on this when he references the changing nature of the church, first being able to figure out what will NOT change - what is foundational - what is the hill the church should die on? This is the gospel of our LORD; we are saved by grace through faith in Christ according the Word of God for the glory of God. The authority of the scripture is going to be the hill I believe many churches will die off from not defending because they never made standing on His Word the immutable truth they could stand on, the rock of their salvation, and the winds and rains came and because they were founded on sand, they were destroyed. #boomshakalaka #HolySpiritBomb #Another#Boom :-P Okay that became a longer review that I anticipated...

Insightful, inspiring and informative, this book reframes the conversation about how to lead the church (and every other organization and institution) into the uncharted territory of an uncertain future. It has all the benefits of a textbook on your shelf for reference and all the readability of your favorite leadership author. It was so good, I also picked up Ambrose’s Undaunted Courage book—and read about Lewis and Clark’s adventures, too. It’s a great read too!

First, if you have interest in leadership growth and development, this book is a must-read for you. Tod offers great insight from his years as a minister and consultant that will, at the very least, challenge you to rethink your personal and organizational modes of operation while also giving you directions about how to consider taking different paths towards more desirable results. Whether you agree with his insights or offerings, you will be prodded to engage with them. Second, if you are a fan of Lewis and Clark, especially if you have read Ambrose’s work on them, you will especially enjoy the narrative retold through this book and the applications drawn from their amazing endeavor. The parallels between The Corps of Discovery and the leadership style(s) we need to navigate change are clear, cleaver, and usually not overstated or correlated too loosely. In fact, at times, I wished Bolsinger had shared more connection to the historical account, not less. Finally, the book is narrow enough to be practical, but broad enough to apply to a wide range of contexts. While written with church leadership in mind, the concepts apply to any organization trying to navigate change in an ever-changing cultural landscape. As a member of the faith community however, I love the constant reminder and call back to our eternal purpose and the primary reason why we must embrace challenges and change. I highly recommend this book!

I really enjoyed this book. Bolsinger never attempts to give solutions or quick fixes. Rather, using the excellent analogy of Lewis & Clark's expedition of exploration, he urges us to consider that the present organisational structures & leadership training cannot take churches forward into the future. We must give up the methods that have worked in the past & stop thinking that just doing the same things will bring new results. He has really got me thinking, which is a sign of a good book. I appreciate the fact that Bolsinger doesn't give in to the temptation to "tell" me what to do. Rather, his comment in a recent interview expresses well the purpose of his book. He is talking about the essential DNA of each denomination/congregation. “Your fundamental practice is the practice of discernment. What of this do we hold on to because if we lose this, we stop being ourselves? What is it that we let go of because if we don’t let go of it, we will give up our opportunity to fulfill our mission?” A significant book at a time when the western church is facing serious decline. Clear, courageous, Spirit-led conversations are desperately needed NOW!! And Bolsinger's book encourages us to action NOW!!

Fantastic ! Inspirational, challenging and so thought provoking. Every leader looking to grow and develop should read this book.

In my work of training leaders I now have a strong word of encouragement – Don’t engage your leadership journey unless this book is in your backpack. “Canoeing The Mountains” deals with one of the most daunting questions we face as Christian leaders - How are we to lead in a world that is increasingly ambiguous, uncertain, and complex? The wise counsel to master “on the map” leadership so as to establish trust for “off the map” leadership was worth the price of the book. As a professor dedicated to teaching the art and craft of Christian leadership I know of no better resource for understanding and applying the concept of adaptive leadership than this work. Terry Young - Ambrose University

transformative if you are looking to move forward

Brilliant book, a must read for all leaders!!