LEADING ON EMPTY (HC) Hardcover – Oct 2009

In his book "Leading on Empty," Wayne Cordeiro shares the story of his own personal burn-out, which resulted from years of very successful pastoral ministry that he pursued without adequate attention to sustainability and personal well-being. He wrote this book as a means to share what he learned over the years, especially during and after his crisis of burn-out, to help other leaders, especially pastors, to avoid the trauma that he endured. The account is very personal and very specific, written in Cordeiro's typically accessible style. Though I read it in small bits over the course of several months, it could also probably be read in one or two sittings.

The strengths of the book are its practicality and specificity. Cordeiro offers a host of practices that pastors would be well-served to embrace or at least consider to avoid the sort of crisis that knocks so many hundreds of pastors out of ministry each year. He suggests that taking care of his body through diet, exercise, and sleep was essential. He suggests that maintaining spiritual disciplines like Bible study and prayer and developing other leaders around him were essential. He suggests that being committed to rest, by establishing a daily routine including moments of respite, committing to a weekly Sabbath rest, carving out time for periodic days of renewal, and understanding the value of sabbaticals every 5-7 years, was absolutely essential to him. He speaks about the value of giving necessary time and energy to his family and of scheduling his day to give his most productive time to his most important commitments. This is all great stuff, which we would all do well to consider.

As much as I agreed with almost everything that Cordeiro said in the book, I have several critiques to offer. First and foremost, I found the sheer volume of his suggested preventative measures to burn-out to be overwhelming. I almost felt like he was saying that if we all did these 57 suggested things, then all would be well, but the complexity of what he offered was simply too much. Unless my primary focus in life was to model my life after Wayne Cordeiro, I would quickly be overwhelmed and distracted by trying to implement all that he offered. On a related note, I thought that the general tone of some of his points were far too prescriptive, rather than merely being descriptive. It's one thing to say, "Here are some things that have been helpful to me, so I'd encourage you to consider them." It's an entirely different tone (and decidedly less helpful, I think) to say, "These are the 57 very specific things that you must do if you want to avoid burn-out." Do I really need to study the Bible using Cordeiro's SOAP method to be able to meaningfully engage with the Scriptures? Do I really need to go to bed at 9:00pm and wake up at 5:00am to get a good night of sleep? Cordeiro may think so, but I'm unconvinced that these approaches are universal. My final critique is that the main points of the book seemed to be rather unoriginal, stuff that I've read from the likes of Bill Hybels, Andy Stanley, Sam Rima, and many others over the years. I'm glad that the book has proven to be so helpful to most of the other reviewers, but it seemed to me that I had pretty much read or heard all of it before.

Ultimately, I want to reiterate that Cordeiro's book is a quick and helpful read. If you're completely unfamiliar with the areas of self-leadership and personal sustainability in ministry, this is a decent summary of worthwhile ideas. I wish the tone had been a bit less dogmatic at points, but Cordeiro has offered a helpful addition to the pastor's library.

I read "Leading on Empty" in less than two days! Wayne Cordeiro's narrative is engaging, his descriptions of burn-out are realistic, and his motivations to get help are inspiring. He uses more analogies than I prefer, and his solutions seem to target one type of leader, but overall it's a very readable book that should help people.

The early chapters were most helpful. Through realistic examples and teaching from Scripture, Cordeiro covers the warning signs for depression and burnout, then addresses how he recognized those in himself and sought help. I've worked in ministry leadership for about 7 years, but I'm not a senior pastor. I could see myself and others in his examples. These chapters could be read by Christians who are leaders in business/etc. though they'll have to re-frame ideas to fit their situations.

I was mostly craving practical suggestions. I found a few in the later chapters, but these chapters (even more than the earlier ones) seem to be written from the perspective of a Senior Pastor. Since that's not my role, these chapters were a little unsatisfying. I had to constantly filter his writing thru my situation, which was a little frustrating.

I'd love to see a revised edition that offers general principles (alone, without drawing applications for pastors just yet). Then, add chapters for overcoming burnout from three different perspectives: senior church leaders, other church staff, and also lay-leaders (or Christians leading in business settings). These groups all experience burnout that impacts our churches/families, but solutions are different (i.e. we can't all take an extended sabbatical).

Overall, while the final chapters left me a little unsatisfied, I'd still recommend the book highly. If you're a church staff member, even if you aren't the "senior" leader, this book is worth reading to be more familiar with the problem of burnout.

I highly recommend Wayne Cordeiro's book - his narrative on `Leading On Empty" is funny, intimate, personal and very confronting. This book is an excellent read - full of practicalities for anyone who leads in any capacity. Cordeiro's writing style ensures that you are on his very personal journey with him - my friends who have read it feel the same way I do.

While reading "Leading on Empty" it was like someone describing MY own feelings. Not that I'm falling out of ministry, but at times I couldn't describe my feeling of tiredness. Here Wayne Cordeiro is sharing his emotions, his life in ministry and God's calling and how we as can refuel our commitments and love back to God. Refocusing our lives to make it better, yes I recommend this to everyone!

Wayne Cordeiro speaks from experience in this book. When I ordered this book, I knew I was not quite in the place where it would speak directly to my current situation. After reading it, I know that I am not anywhere close to experiencing burnout but this book helped me understand how important balancing your life is. I am glad I read this book and recommend it to any pastor or spiritual leader, or anyone who leads a hectic life. As someone who in the future desires to plant a church if the Lord so leads, this book was a great read and well worth my time.

Wayne jumps right in to this book with his own personal story of burnout which definitely draws the reader in. As you continue to read, Wayne shares story after story of pastors and spiritual leaders who have broken down from high expectations and not maintaining balance in their lives. Pastors many times attempt to be superman to their congregation and yet fail to see the true affect it has on their families and personal lives as well. They feel that since they are in the ministry, that what they are doing is blessed by God and therefore He will give them the strength they need to minister to everyone in their church because that is what a pastor is called to do. However, they fail to realize that this is not the plan God has in mind for any pastor or person in spiritual leadership. Even Moses himself had limits and had to find a way to set in motion a model of leadership over the people of Israel because it was too much for him to handle on his own. If Moses struggled with this, why do so many feel that it does not apply to them?

One of my favorite parts of the book was the challenge to have a personal Sabbath. Christians today have strayed far from this command in the Bible of practicing the Sabbath and it is taking its toll on the church. Christians are constantly going, just like the world, and we feel that if we take a day to rest, we will fall behind. However, having a day of rest is actually one of the best things that a person can do. So often when people get worn down, a doctor will encourage the person to rest. This is the natural way that God set in motion. He knew what we are capable of and He knows our limits, thus God Himself modeled for us a day of rest when after finishing creation, He rested. God did not need to rest but He knew that we do and thus He gave us the example. However, we have far removed ourselves from that day of rest. Families fill their schedules with so much, Bible studies, kid's soccer games, social events, ministries, etc. These in and of themselves are not bad, but when it takes us away from having time to rest and truly think about God and allow Him to recharge our lives, we head towards burnout. And this is not just in the pastorate either; it is the same with everyone. Too often we choose caffeine over rest to recharge. Yet that just leads us further along towards burnout.

With Leading on Empty, Wayne takes great care to challenge us to look at our lives and take inventory of them. Are we heading down the path towards burnout? If so, what can we do to stop it? What needs more balancing? And many times, that is what it comes down to, finding balance within our busyness and then taking the time to reorder our lives and then live within those priorities. It is hard, especially when "duty calls" but it is necessary. If you are burned out, you have nothing to offer. Wayne Cordeiro does a great job of showing how when a pastor burns out, it affects his life, his family and his ministry. When a pastor is empty himself, how can he fill others and challenge them? A pastor has to lead by example and this in many areas is what this book is about.

I highly recommend this book to any pastor or lay leader within the church and feel that it will be greatly beneficial in helping keep someone from burning out. After reading this book, I personally feel that I am more in a position to ensure that this does not happen within my own life and I feel that anyone who reads this book will feel that way as well.

In compliance with regulations introduced by the Federal Trade Commission, I received a complimentary copy of this book by Bethany House Publishers in exchange for this review.