In familiar territory, churches can be led by a seasoned expert. The battle-scarred veteran says, “Here’s what worked for me five years ago. Let me bring that model to your church.” But in uncharted territory, we don’t need a new model; we need a new kind of leader.

This new 40 th anniversary edition has been completely updated in line with the latest sea kayaking developments by Wayne Horodowich, a longtime friend of Hutchinson’s and the founder of University of Sea Kayaking. You don’t need to be able to swim, the bank of the river is never far away and you will be wearing a buoyancy aid. You just need 1 good swimmer for every non-swimmer. Even quite young kids are allowed. For each kid that would need help if the boat capsized, you need 1 adult. For older and more capable kids then 1 adult can canoe with two children.Bolsinger says that transformational leadership does not begin with transformation. It begins with competence. Before a team will follow a leader into uncharted territory, there needs to be a sense that the leader has already done a good job stewarding the resources on the map.

With minimal gear, an inflatable kayak and a can-do attitude like no other, Sutherland coolly embarked on epic thousand kilometer journeys along the remote north shore of Molokai and the coast of Alaska. Sutherland’s writing inspires, shatters perceived barriers and may make you question our dependence on GPS, Go-Pros and Gore-Tex gear. When Fuller Seminary decided to launch out in our own uncharted terrain, we called on Tod Bolsinger to join our leadership team. When you read Canoeing the Mountains, you'll immediately understand why. Bolsinger's ability to translate the most important organizational leadership material into the day-to-day challenges of the Christian leader is without peer. His vulnerability and authenticity resonates as he shares his own leadership learning journey. This is the leadership book the church needs today." For the upper and middle sections of the river you don’t need any experience or any particular level of fitness. Finally, if you are heading out for a full day or multi-day plan your food stops. There are many pubs along the way that provide food and drink, but most paddlers choose to bring a picnic and have a lazy meal on the riverbanks. They arise when the world around us has changed but we continue to live on the successes of the past. They are challenges that cannot be solved through compromise or win-win scenarios, or by adding another ministry or staff person to the team. They demand that leaders make hard choices about what to preserve and to let go. They are challenges that require people to learn and to change, that require leaders to experience and navigate profound loss. [6]Dissenters who ask the tough questions that need to be asked and responded to without defensiveness because it is not about the leader but the mission. Is the church really in decline or is it the Western, Christendom form of church life that is now less effective? As far as Warren Richey knew, his life was on course. A reporter with a beautiful wife and talented son, Richey couldn’t imagine how it could be any better….Then his marriage falls apart and he can’t imagine how it could be any worse. From Lewis and Clark we will learn that if we can adapt and adventure, we can thrive. That while leadership in uncharted territory requires both learning and loss, once we realize that the losses won’t kill us, they can teach us. And mostly, we will learn that to thrive off the map in an exciting and rapidly changing world means learning to let go, learn as we go and keep going no matter what.

In a most winsome and engaging way, Tod Bolsinger weaves together the best of current leadership research?adaptive change, systems theory, organizational transformation?with the real-life challenges of a pastor/practitioner who has spent years trying to put all this together in a congregation ...Like a master storyteller, Tod also weaves in the story of Lewis and Clark as a historical parable of the change and challenge in which we find ourselves today in the church. This is a book that you simply must read!" A church that has maintained unity through homogeneity will find it difficult to welcome those who differ in lifestyle, education, mores and social class" (75) The following are questions from the book and from my own mind that are guiding a book study I'm leading on the final section. They may be helpful to you.See Ronald Heifetz, Leadership Without Easy Answers (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1994); Ronald Heifetz and Marty Linsky, Leadership on the Line: Staying Alive through the Dangers of Leading (Cambridge, MA: Harvard Business School Press, 2002); and Ronald Heifetz, The Practice of Adaptive Leadership: Tools and Tactics for Changing Your Organization (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2009). For adventure, speed and feeling closer to the water then the kayak is a better option. For a relaxing social tour with the family then go with the canoe. WHAT SHOULD YOU BRING? So, while you are still on the map – taking care of Sunday school, youth group, Bible studies, etc. – build the credibility, connections, and culture that you want to carry with you off the map. This special edition of No Barriers introduces kids to the incredible true story of Erik’s most terrifying journey: solo kayaking the thunderous whitewater of the Grand Canyon. Erik and his friends form a courageous crew to do battle with some of the harshest elements nature has to offer. Along the course of Erik’s journey, he meets other trailblazers: adventurers, scientists, artists, and activists who show Erik the way forward and teach him the meaning of No Barriers―“What’s Within You is Stronger Than What’s in Your Way.”