I don't usually write a blog about a book but here's the deal. After I read The Art of the Start, First Edition, by Guy Kawasaki, I was so impressed with the contents of this book that I believe sharing a few insights from it might be a great resource and encouragement for ministry leaders. This is especially true of church planters and any others who are trying to start new ministries or revive existing ones. By the way, I'm cheap so I found a copy of this book in the first edition at a discount book store for 60% off. Now that I've read it, I need to get the much-expanded second edition and devour it.
Here are just a few takeaways or insights from Guy Kawasaki that are gold nugget resources.
"The best reason to start an organization is to make meaning – to create a product or service that makes the world a better place." So, what meaning does your ministry or new idea for the church or your ministry contribute to making your community or world a better place in God's Kingdom?
"Forget mission statements; they're long, boring and irrelevant. Instead, take your meaning and make a mantra out of it." I've started working on that right away – my rough draft for Coach and Equip Ministry is "creating church champions." It's not perfect, but it's a start. Kawasaki does go on to imply that good mission statements are important but they need to follow a compelling mantra.
"Define your business model°My final tip is that you ask women – and only women." The reason Kawasaki gives for this is that women "are much better judges of the viability of a business model that men are." Think church planting proposals or strategic plans for a new ministry. I've gotta try this one.
"°create a comprehensive list of the major assumptions that you are making about your business (or ministry)." I confess I've done very little of making valid assumptions. How about you?
"Organizations should position themselves with comparable clarity by explaining exactly what they do. The art of positioning really comes down to nothing more than answering that one simple question: What do you do?" How about that one for your ministry or church? Have you achieved "comparable clarity" in what you are attempting to do in ministry?
These points are found in the first 15% of the book. After reading this part of the book, I had to finish everything in it including many of the footnotes.
This is a book resource that I definitely wish I had in my hands when I began my first church plant four decades ago – what a valuable resource, especially for starting new ministries. As with all resources, test it by putting it under the authority of God's Word and, above all ideas, use faith and prayer.
For a brief summary of the book, link to:
Check out The Art of the Start by Guy Kawaski and let us know what you think with a reply.