Drawing from his extensive experience as a pastor and consultant, Tod Bolsinger brings decades of expertise in guiding churches and organisations through uncharted territory. He offers a combination of illuminating insights and practical tools to help you reimagine what effective leadership looks like in our rapidly changing world. I found this book quite helpful in breaking down the challenges of leading outside the box or according to this metaphor, as you canoe the mountains. Worth reading. Overall, there were several areas of insight I found to be particularly helpful in Bolsinger’s book. First, he notes the difference between different spheres of leadership and influence: personal leadership, leadership of people, and leadership of organizations. It is this last area that pastors are rarely trained in. Because organizations are large systems, they have their own “DNA,” with certain values, certain ways of dealing with conflict, and certain ways of responding to issues. Most pastors have never been taught to identify an organizational DNA and change culture, and unfortunately, this is a primary trait of good leaders, especially those in church settings where there is a mission that we all share as Christians. If large crowds put you off then head upstream to Hay on Wye or book outside the July and August summer holidays. Thanks to JK Jones for this recommendation. Took me a while to get to it. Wish I had read it earlier. Briefly interacting with the Lewis and Clark story, Bolsinger writes about leadership that actually transforms the organization (read: church, school, non-profit, etc). His principles are powerfully laid out. His insights are helpful and cause a number of light-bulb moments.

The ultimate how-to guide to the exciting water sports for both novices and more experienced intermediate-level paddlers, with techniques for mastering flat water, white water, open water and the sea.For Christian leaders this means that ministry is not only the means to bring the gospel to the world, ministry together is how God makes a congregation into a corps that is ready to continually bring the gospel in new ways to a changing world. As missionaries who have been thrown together into unfamiliar surroundings with little more than a sense of call and commitment to each other, when we love each other and are dedicated to our mission, we change.” In 1930 two novice paddlers—Eric Sevareid and Walter C. Port—launched a secondhand 18-foot canvas canoe into the Minnesota River at Fort Snelling for an ambitious summer-long journey from Minneapolis to Hudson Bay. Without benefit of radio, motor, or good maps, the teenagers made their way over 2,250 miles of rivers, lakes, and difficult portages. Nearly four months later, after shooting hundreds of sets of rapids and surviving exceedingly bad conditions and even worse advice, the ragged, hungry adventurers arrived in York Factory on Hudson Bay—with winter freeze-up on their heels. First published in 1935, Canoeing with the Cree is Sevareid’s classic account of this youthful odyssey.

As well as being a comprehensive guide to the many rivers and streams in the state, Canoeing & Kayaking Ohio’s Streams includes chapters on water safety, paddling instructions, how to read and rate white water, and even tips for paddling with children. I would have liked to see this leadership model rooted in scripture. Lewis and Clark certainly were singular leaders, and the book invokes good leadership theory. I can't help but wonder what one might draw from the leadership of Moses, of David, of Jesus, and of Paul, each who in some sense led in uncharted territory. The conflict situation of Acts 6 strikes me as a marvelous example of a system that wasn't working, and of leadership that exhibited relational, and spiritual competence linked to clear missional focus while adapting to problems associated with expansion, resulting in a transformed, rapidly growing church and an enlarged and diversified leadership nucleus. Secondly, while transformational leadership is certainly a skill set that pastors should have when attempting to lead efforts of culture change in their congregations, many other works in this area have recognized that this kind of leadership is more natural for certain personality traits. The knowledge that transformational leadership might be more difficult based on an individual’s personality “wiring” was not mentioned here in Bolsinger. However, I must give him credit for his discussion on how one’s family systems history affects their leadership. We’ve been providing free travel content on Anywhere We Roam since 2017. If you appreciate what we do, here are some ways you can support us. Warren Richey’s memoir Without a Paddle is a remarkable physical and emotional journey that cuts to the heart of what it means to be a man, a husband, and a father.It is possible to prepare for the future without knowing what it will be. The primary way to prepare for the unknown is to attend to the quality of our relationships, to how well we know and trust one another. Margaret Wheatley, “When Change Is Out of Control” How have you in your ministry done the following: “Encouraging...diversity in your leadership pool means greater diversity of thought, which, in turn, leads to improved problem solving?” (197)

This is a great leadership book for Christian leaders navigating increasingly post-Christendom circles. How do we lead when the methods we learned don't work anymore? By weaving the intriguing story of Lewis & Clark's expedition to traverse across America to the Pacific Ocean, Bolsinger ties many great connections and applications for how to navigate uncharted territory. There are several companies that provide kayaks or canoes on the River Wye for hire. They offer a choice of one person kayaks, and 2 or 3 person canoes (4 if two are children). Hire includes oar, a buoyancy aid, and a waterproof barrel to store a few supplies. Canoe and kayak hire on the Wye can be for as little as half a day or for as long as multiple days. A half-day allows for about 2 to 3 hours of paddling and covers about 5 to 7 miles. A full day involves about 4 to 6 hours paddling and covers about 10 to 12 miles. A superb book on the need for adaptive leadership in the twenty-first-century church. Bolsinger challenges leaders in the Christian community to recognize the unsettling reality of being 'off the map.' Illustrated with vivid metaphors and real-world examples, resulting in a seminal book on how to navigate this new world. A must-read for everyone interested in church leadership."Whitewater Kayaking: The Ultimate Guide has become the established, definitive guide on the sport. Drawing on the combined 30+ years of experience of world-renowned paddlers and Instructors Ken Whiting and Kevin Varette, this comprehensive guide covers everything from the most basic skills and concepts to the most advanced, cutting-edge paddling techniques.

As far as Warren Richey knew, his life was on course. A reporter with a beautiful wife and talented son, Richey couldn’t imagine how it could be any better….Then his marriage falls apart and he can’t imagine how it could be any worse. Trust is vital for change leadership. Without trust there is no “travel.” When trust is lost, the journey is over.” The primary way to prepare for the unknown is to attend to the quality of our relationships, to how well we know and trust one another. . . . There is one core principle for developing these relationships. People must be engaged in meaningful work together if they are to transcend individual concerns and develop new capacities.”In a most winsome and engaging way, Tod Bolsinger weaves together the best of current leadership research?adaptive change, systems theory, organizational transformation?with the real-life challenges of a pastor/practitioner who has spent years trying to put all this together in a congregation ...Like a master storyteller, Tod also weaves in the story of Lewis and Clark as a historical parable of the change and challenge in which we find ourselves today in the church. This is a book that you simply must read!"