5 stars (Must have book for the church leader's library) - The authors of this book do a great job of illustrating the 7 practices of effective ministry through the story of a baseball game. Later chapters dig deeper into how to apply the practices. Some of it seems so simple but then I wondered why I hadn't thought about them before. In fact, these practices are good for any organization, not just ministries. I'm using this book with my church staff right now and plan to have the leadership team read through it and began applying the principles to our ministry. 5 stars (Powerful) - This book was awesome. The principles set forth would work in any type of setting not just church. It is laid out in such a way that anyone can understand. It was a book I could not put down. I have read it three time now and still enjoy it. 4 stars (Interesting setting for tried and true principles) - This book does not present new or startling information, and the author admits to that. But it does put together some good leadership principles in an interesting way, relating them to baseball and placing them in a ballgame setting. The stage is set that everyone can relate to when the pastor wants to skip a church meeting and play hooky at the ball park. Most of us can relate to wanting to play hooky at one time or another. We are using this book as a study during our weekly church staff meeting, and it is generating lots of discussion as each person applies the principles to their own work duties and situations. I would caution against using it with a staff that includes many women ... unless they really like baseball. ... Multnomah :: Religion & Leadership :: CHURCH & MINISTRY & MINISTRY RESOURCES & GENERAL :: Religion - Church Administration :: Religion :: Pastoral theology :: Leadership :: 7 Practices of Effective Ministry