Entering Wonderland

Harris has done a great job of creating a principle-based guidebook for newly assigned pastors. He has put together a delightful combination of humorous, and therefore memorable, stories to illustrate the potential pitfalls and breakthroughs new pastors will likely encounter. What I like best about this book is the power of his own experiences to make key points. This book also has tremendous potential to help others new to positions of significant responsibility benefit far beyond the pastorate. -- Frank Ball, Advisor to the Director, Institute for Transformational Leadership, Georgetown University After the Pastor Search Committee is ready to call the new pastor, every other parishioner then is asking, 'Can this person be my pastor?' Bob Harris provides here an essential resource for every new pastor to methodologically discover the undercurrents in a congregation which will make or break a new pastor's ministry. Every pastor starting in a new ministry context will benefit from these insights. -- G. Wilson Gunn, General Presbyter, National Capital Presbytery Bob Harris has identified and mapped out a path through the early months of a pastorate that provide invaluable dialogue and insight into ministry in community. Armed with the guidance of this book, a new pastor should be able to navigate a way through the sometimes daunting and almost always rewarding task of being a Pastor. -- Mike Cole, General Presbyter, Presbytery of New Covenant Bob Harris invites and coaches readers entering new congregations to treat the 'wonderland' of ministry as a place where wondering - sometimes out loud, sometimes not - can lead to good questions and helpful answers. Bob asks lots of questions, and shares some of his own answers, but he mostly presses pastors to '... emulate Alice. She was curious - sometimes a little frightened, but she kept asking questions.' I have used his 'Eleven Curious Questions' process in interim pastorates in two very different congregations. It works. Bob is by nature an optimist, but also a realist. In the realities of ministry, including my own, he helps his readers and coaching clients experience the wonder of it. -- Richard L. Sheffield, pastor