Bob Whitesel is the former president of the Great Commission Research Network (www.GreatCommissionResearch.net) as well as the current vice president for The Society of Church Consulting (www.ChurchConsultation.org). It was through these two organizations that he met and eventually mentored Dr. Lonnie Pope and Mel Schell in a very selective 12-month coaching program he does with small cadres of carefully selected Christian leaders.
His books include: Preparing for Change Reaction, How To Introduce Change In Your Church (2008), co-winner of the 2008 “Resource of the Year in Leadership” by Outreach Magazine; and Inside the Organic Church, Learning from 12 Emerging Congregations (2006), Outreach Magazine’s 2007 finalist for “Resource of the Year in Postmodern Outreach.”
Two additional books: Waypoint: Navigating Your Spiritual Journey (2010) and Spiritual Waypoints: Helping Others Navigate the Journey (2010), include personal interviews Whitesel conducted with national leaders on their spiritual transformation, including Tony Campolo, Shane Claiborne, Dan Kimball, Sally Morgenthaler, Len Sweet and 11 more.
This latter book was runner-up for Outreach Magazine’s 2011 “Resource of the Year in Evangelism.” His book, ORGANIX: Signs of Leadership in a Changing Church (2011), was called by Scott Thumma of Hartford Institute for Religion Research “a wake-up call and transformational challenge for all those clergy still embracing a ‘modern’ approach to congregational leadership. Whitesel offers an insightful and well-researched recipe for the cultivation of authentic, organic leadership for this new reality.”
Dr. Whitesel’s most recent books, Cure for the Common Church: God’s Plan To Restore Church Health (2012) and The Healthy Church: Practical Ways To Strengthen a Church’s Heart (2013), are practical guides not only to turning around aging or plateaued churches, but also are vital resources for keeping growing congregations spiritually and physically fit.
When not teaching or writing, he is researching the leadership secrets of John Wesley at libraries across England. Whitesel is at the forefront of understanding how Wesley’s “leadership method” can grow and revitalize churches today. Dr. Whitesel also curates a research site, www.ChurchHealthWiki.com, with links to over 1000 practical articles on leadership and evangelism. You can search by word or topic.