Image is more valued than substance, reputation is prized over character, and climbing
the ladder of success--regardless of how you get there--is king. Sadly, the world we
live in not only reinforces these values but also rewards them.
What Really Matters! is not a self-help guide to becoming a better leader or an
autobiography. It is about understanding the character of one's soul. Rather than
offering a series of steps to becoming a successful leader, this book presents a
transforming process of being rather than doing--an integration of one's head with
one's heart. Targeted toward Christian leaders both young and old, this book will take
readers on a journey toward wholeness where they long to serve and glorify the One
greater than themselves.
About the Author :
Bill Wellons and his wife Carolyn helped found Fellowship Bible Church in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1977. For thirty years he served that congregation as teaching pastor and chairman of the elder board. From its beginning, Fellowship has been involved in planting other churches. In 1999, Bill helped launch Fellowship Associates, a ministry started by Fellowship to foster church planting. In 2005, Bill moved full time to Fellowship Associates, serving as Executive Director of its Church Planting Residency Program. Fellowship Associates has been involved in planting one hundred churches, and those churches have planted an additional one hundred churches. Bill has also helped establish eight more residency programs to train pastors in the process of starting churches. Bill and Carolyn have served as speakers with FamilyLife's nationwide Weekend to Remember events. Together, they co-authored Getting Away to Get It Together. Joining with Dr. Robert M. Lewis, Bill helped develop The Great Adventure DVD series for Men's Fraternity, and he and Lloyd Reed are co-authors of Unlimited Partnership. Bill and Carolyn were married in 1970 and have three children and eleven grandchildren. Karen Burkett and the members of the Christian Editing Services team come from a variety of denominations and backgrounds. But all are part of the Church, the family of believers in Jesus Christ. While we may differ in some of our traditions and thoughts, we all believe in the foundational truths of the Christian faith. Those beliefs are briefly described below. In our services, we are committed to being true to these beliefs in the way we work together, the way we serve our clients, and in our criteria for accepting projects from prospective clients. Our goal is to have this kind of relationship with one another and with our clients: Is there any such thing as Christians cheering each other up? Do you love me enough to want to help me? Does it mean anything to you that we are brothers in the Lord, sharing the same Spirit? Are your hearts tender and sympathetic at all? Then make me truly happy by loving each other and agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, working together with one heart and mind and purpose. (Philippians 2:1-2 TLB)
Review :
Two things draw me to this book. First, the writer himself. Bill
Wellons embodies the values and principles he expresses. He is a
true inside-out leader who has greatly enriched my life over the past
40 years. Secondly, this book is a goldmine of insights. It identifies
and articulates the basic building blocks of authentic leadership. We
know all too well gifted leaders who fail us and God's kingdom
because their interior life has been left hollow or uncultivated. They
ignore the warning that "God is not like man and looks not on outward
appearances but on the heart", 1 Samuel 16:7. If you're a leader, give
your heart a life-altering gift and drink deeply at the well of What
Really Matters!
-- Dr. Robert Lewis,
Pastor, Founder-Men's Fraternity.
When it comes to developing high capacity ministry leaders, Bill is
the guy. He's done it, is doing it, and now gets to come alongside
you through this book. His 40+ years of experience being in the
trenches and coaching people through it are dripping off of these
pages, so don't miss this book.
-- Daniel Im,
author of No Silver Bullets,
coauthor of Planting Missional Churches,
director of church multiplication at NewChurches.com,
teaching pastor, and podcaster.
God gives us many kinds of gifts. When he brings people into our
lives who help conform us into the image of his Son it is truly a
tremendous gift. That is exactly how I feel about Bill Wellons and
the impact he has made on me and my husband, Dave over the past
decade we've known his family. What a Christian leader needs more
than any trick-of-the-trade is to experience the life of God in the soul
of the leader. I'm so excited Bill has written down the wisdom he
has gained from his experiences of following God through the path
of leadership.
-- Gloria Furman,
author of Missional Motherhood,
Alive in Him, and The Pastor's Wife
Leadership is dangerous. A quick look at the number of leaders who
have fallen across our leadership landscape is sobering. That's why
I'm so thankful for Bill Wellons and his leader saving book, What
Really Matters! The Seven Values of an Inside-Out Leader. Wellons'
takes leaders in a fresh, yet ancient, direction that enables leaders to
go further faster without falling. Combining biblical truth with the
wisdom that can only be learned through several decades of leading
and training leaders, What Really Matters! is a steady, inspiring
guide that belongs in every leader's hands. Once you read it, like
me, you'll realize it's one of those books that belongs on the annual
reading shelf. I highly recommend it!
-- Dr. Jedidiah Coppenger,
Lead Pastor of Redemption City Church in Franklin, TN.
