Craig T. Owens

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One of the reasons I felt prompted to write Shepherd Leadership was that I saw too many CEO-like metrics being used by pastors to gauge the success of their church. The subtitle of my book is “The Metrics that Really Matter.” 

Check out this excerpt from a recent blog post from T.M. Moore—

     “Even a cursory reading of Revelation 2 and 3 will convince us that Jesus has expectations for His churches. He has in His mind a template and pattern for how a church should be built and what it should look like as it takes on its calling as the Body of the Lord in its community. The seven churches Jesus singled out in these chapters represent the Church in every age and place. His assessment of these churches puts us on notice concerning how we should assess the state of our church at any time and what we must do to bring our expectations into line with His.

     “We’re not very good at this. Counting noses, tallying up contributions, and reporting on baptisms and new members—these are the criteria at which we typically aim and to which we point in determining the health of our churches. But these criteria appear nowhere in Revelation 2 and 3. Jesus is looking for more.” 

You can check out the rest of T.M.’s thoughts here. 

I was honored that T.M. Moore wrote an endorsement of Shepherd Leadership: “Craig Owens has it right: Jesus appointed church leaders to be shepherds over His precious flocks. The combination of Craig’s Biblical understanding, practical insights, and consistent personal practice make Shepherd Leadership a book every pastor should read.” 

To learn more, pick up a copy of my book for yourself. 

I would also encourage you to check out this list of blog posts and video clips where I discuss in more depth the right and wrong metrics for our churches and para-church ministries. 

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