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Lead Like a Shepherd: The Secret to Leading Well Paperback – April 17, 2018

by Larry Osborne (Author)
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 188 ratings
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Pastor, author, and leadership consultant unpacks instruction for church leaders found in 1 Peter 5:1-4 where they are exhorted to shepherd the flock among them.

Some instruction is timeless. Regardless of the age in which we live, certain instruction carries no expiration on its relevance. Pastor, author, and leadership consultant, Larry Osborne has discovered this to be the case with instruction on how to be a good leader. The best, most practical advice comes from the Bible, and in particular, 1 Peter 5:1-4. It's in this short passage where leaders are exhorted to shepherd the flock among them.

Unfortunately, most modern leaders have precious little experience tending sheep, and many of the implications that were well understood when Peter penned these words are lost on today's reader. Osborne finds the parallels to be numerous, well-worth reviewing and understanding anew.

A shepherd leads them to water even when they fear it. A shepherd never allows one sick lamb to destroy the flock. A shepherd lays down his life for his sheep . . .

When leaders truly understand Peter's words of exhortation to lead like a shepherd, then they will begin to see the path that leads them to Leading Well.

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  1. Print length
    224 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Thomas Nelson
  4. Publication date
    April 17, 2018
  5. Dimensions
    5.5 x 0.5 x 8.5 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    071809641X
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0718096410
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Larry Osborne is a teaching pastor at North Coast Church in northern San Diego County. North Coast is widely recognized as one of the most influential and innovative churches in America. Osborne speaks extensively on the subjects of leadership and spiritual formation. His books include Sticky Teams, Sticky Church, 10 Dumb Things Smart Christians Believe, and Spirituality for the Rest of Us. He and his wife, Nancy, live in Oceanside, California.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Thomas Nelson (April 17, 2018)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 224 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 071809641X
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0718096410
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 6.5 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.5 x 8.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 188 ratings

About the author

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Larry Osborne

Larry Osborne

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Larry Osborne is a pastor, author, mentor, and leadership consultant with a passion for both leadership and spiritual formation. He is a Teaching Pastor and Kingdom Ambassador at North Coast Church in Vista, CA, where he previously served as a Senior Pastor helping to oversee its growth from a fledgling group of 128 meeting in a high school cafeteria to a massive multi-site church with over 13,000 in weekend attendance and seven local campuses.

During his tenure the church was acclaimed as one of the 10 most influential churches in America and was regularly featured in the annual Outreach 100 lists as one of the largest and fastest growing churches in the nation.

Larry's pioneering and innovative contributions to the larger church world include video venues and multisite churches, sermon-based small groups, teaching teams, and shared leadership.

As a nationally recognized trainer of leaders, pastors, and church planters, Larry speaks at conferences and mentoring events across the country and around the world. His books include: Thriving in Babylon, Accidental Pharisees, A Contrarian’s Guide to Knowing God, 10 Dumb Things Smart Christians Believe, Sticky Teams, Sticky Church, Sticky Leaders, Lead Like a Shepherd, Mission Creep, and The Unity Factor. He holds both Masters and Doctoral degrees from Talbot Theological Seminary. He and his wife, Nancy, live in Oceanside, CA. They have three married children who all married up and produced eight amazing grandchildren.

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
188 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Jeremy D. White
5.0 out of 5 stars Larry Osborne at his best
Reviewed in the United States on December 24, 2023
Verified Purchase
This book is a great read for all leaders, but especially those serving in Christian ministry. Larry has a way of putting top shelf theological principles on a shelf accessible to all, easy to grasp without being shallow, and truly helpful in keeping your soul healthy for life and ministry.
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Carlos a. Hernandez
5.0 out of 5 stars great read for those aspiring to lead in the church.
Reviewed in the United States on December 25, 2021
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This is a great read for those aspiring to lead in the church. I recommend it specially to those who sense a call into pastoral care and ministry.
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Michael G
5.0 out of 5 stars Wow. Incredible
Reviewed in the United States on October 20, 2020
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I loved this book. What a difference in understanding how to view the church as a CEO vs leading the church as a Shepherd. It speaks to deep insecurities, ministry paradigms and common misconceptions. I am so glad I found this book as a youth pastor. I’m fired up to lead the right way.
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Gable44
5.0 out of 5 stars Larry is a Jedi Master
Reviewed in the United States on February 11, 2019
Verified Purchase
If Yoda was a pastor, he'd sound like Larry Osborne. Packed full of wisdom for church leaders. A must read for young ministers and elders. Larry explains so well how to navigate the very real challenges of leadership within the church. I've served in ministry for 25 years, and this book is one of the best that describes the journey of a shepherding leader.
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Anthony Ward
5.0 out of 5 stars Simple, practical & challenging
Reviewed in the United States on January 5, 2021
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I was so thankful, challenged and compelled to begin to lead as scripture clearly reveals. Dr Osborn does an incredible job of directing us through a tough topic with humor and candor.
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Ed Robillard
5.0 out of 5 stars Leadership for pastors and ministry leaders
Reviewed in the United States on July 26, 2018
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I would recommend this book to any pastor or ministry leader as a biblical basis for how to lead in that context. The truths discussed pertain to pretty much all leadership situations, but are especially true for spiritual leaders. Would be great for leaders of “corporate“ churches to read as we are responsible for the health of the flock and not only the size.
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J. HOUSE
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Biblical Leadership Model
Reviewed in the United States on May 3, 2019
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Larry Osborne lays out a biblical model of leadership and disciple development, which I believe can help leaders/aspiring leaders in their ministry. The principles discussed apply to full time ministry, as well as those serving in the everyday workforce. Highly recommend to anyone currently or striving to become a leader.
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ChuckB
3.0 out of 5 stars Where to start?
Reviewed in the United States on October 16, 2019
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First of all, as a layperson, who am I to offer any kind of critique of someone who has faithfully and effectively followed his calling from God, someone who has more "fruit" than I'd have in 20 lifetimes? Also, his earlier books, "Sticky Teams," and "Sticky Church," have really helped me lead better.

His basic reasons for writing this book are important and timely. He states that "both leadership and discipleship matter." Also, "organizational health and spiritual health are two different things." And he wants to promote "leadership values that will actually produce disciples rather than merely bigger and better-run churches."

To accomplish this, he wants to get at the "heart of leadership and what it means to lead like a shepherd instead of a CEO." (I don't think these two are mutually exclusive, but it is certainly a legitimate caution for CEO types, many of whom need to re-think some of their priorities. So, no problem here).

My critique falls in the area of the unintended consequences this book will have for many pastors, leaders, and the congregations that make up the majority of his American audience. Certainly, all pastors need to be encouraged. Their job has become more complex with each passing decade. And often, they have to deal with conflicting expectations even within their own leadership teams.

The author starts out with three challenges American church leaders face. First, increasingly, many outside the church are offended by our biblical values and standards. Second, there has been a massive decrease in biblical literacy in our culture, including leaders within our churches. Third, too many Christians don't want to be discipled. Instead, "they’re looking to be affirmed and encouraged. They’d rather have a cheerleader than a coach." Spirituality and theology have become privatized.

The author obtains his main themes from 1 Peter: 5. Peter's four exhortations are: 1. Think like a shepherd. 2. Serve with enthusiasm. 3. Lead by example. 4. Take the long view. The rest of the book is spent developing each of these. And as the other reviewers have mentioned, he does this very well.

The author also lists a fourth challenge in his opening section. "One of the most frustrating things a shepherd has to deal with are what I call “cultural blind spots.” They’re essentially a form of group think, which is what makes them so hard to overcome."

And it's here that I want to weigh in on. What I'd like to tell Rev. Osborne is that as a layperson in leadership for almost four decades, one of the most frustrating things for me has been the "cultural blind spots" of many clergy themselves from mainline denominations, and the seminaries that produced them. I'm afraid most pastors don't really want to be coached or held accountable either. How many church leaders attempt to define discipleship, success, or have an actual strategic plan that they prayerfully have put together, and then executed that plan in any sustained way? I am also frustrated by the resulting structures and paradigms that have taken over most congregations as well.

The reason we have lost much of our credibility in our culture rightly falls on us. We are mostly Christian "clubs" primarily operating for the benefit of our own membership. We have a wineskin problem. We obviously have an evangelism, discipleship, AND leadership development problem too.

Certainly, there are examples of healthy, flourishing congregations that have an outward, Kingdom-centered focus. But in most small towns across America, you will be hard pressed to find one. I agree with the author that everyone needs to have patience, and be in it for the long haul. But this assumes leadership is actually operating on solid Kingdom principles. What I see is church pastors and their leaders (where there has been little or no evidence of fruit and vitality for decades), just reading this book, and while a few things may get tweaked, they mostly will take comfort from it and continue in their current practices. But don't just take my word for it.

Here's a quote from Michael Breen's book, "Building a Discipleship Culture." "Jesus wants to know if we are making disciples... We have to honestly answer this question. Do the lives of the people who show up on Sunday look like the lives of the people we see in Scripture? Are we just good at getting people together once a week and maybe into a small group, or are we actually good at producing the types of people we read about in the New Testament? Or have we instead shifted our criteria for a good disciple as someone who shows up to our stuff, gives money, and occasionally feeds poor people?"

Read any recent works by Francis Chan, David Platt, Paul Borden, Kinnaman & Lyons, or talk with a church consultant. Although I am convinced the body of Christ (the church) is advancing globally, and even in pockets around the USA, we still have huge problems to overcome in the vast majority of mainline churches. Using the author's words, "Wrong scorecards, and wrong goals."

One final point. The author mentions the Laodicean church. "It doesn’t say that Jesus detested the Laodiceans or that he had written them off or that he was disgustingly spewing them out of his mouth. It says that he’s about to do so if they don’t repent."

Yep, Jesus was (and is) waiting for repentance. However, most Christians in mainline denominations would ask, “Repent of what? Doesn’t our weekly prayer of confession in church take care of that? We are counting on God’s grace. And besides, there is nothing I can do that will make God love me any less.” Uh…Dietrich Bonhoeffer has a lot to say about this issue. He called it "cheap grace" and he wasn't a fan.
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Top reviews from other countries

Mark G Ryan
5.0 out of 5 stars Lead like a shepherd should be essential reading for all pastors
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 16, 2019
Verified Purchase
With down to earth and seasoned wisdom, Larry Osborne cuts through lots of the hype around contemporary Christian leadership. This book is a must for anyone who wants to stand before others. The long term view it takes is essential. A must read!
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