Escape from Church, Inc. – E. Glenn Wagner

© 1999 Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids

Writing with Steve Halliday, Glenn Wagner presents a book that calls pastors to be, well, pastors. The root of the word pastor hails us back to the idea that the pastor is a shepherd. He is not THE Shepherd, but a shepherd who works as an extension of The Good Shepherd (Jesus Christ). The premise of the book is that the biblical model for the pastoral position is one of a shepherd—not the modern trend to corporate-style leadership.

Through the course of the bank, the author guides us to biblical evidence of a shepherd’s model for the pastor. Shepherds are relational, while other leadership models focus on bottom-line equations. He deals with the needs of the flock as well as the call of the pastor.

Overall, the book is a healthy look at the church and the position of her leader. Toward the end of the book is a chapter I expected to be extremely helpful—interviews with several pastors about their shepherd-style leadership approach. I found their responses less than helpful, but the bulk of the book is well worth the reading. The audience for this book is limited indeed. Church members in general will find the book informative and interesting, but not addressing their personal lives. On the other hand, this is a book that I would recommend for any pastor or church minister. Because of the excellent advice within its covers, I give the book 4 and one-half out of five reading glasses.

—Benjamin Potter, February 27, 2011