Canoeing the Mountains – Christian Leadership in Uncharted Territory

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My review of the book is brief and purely anecdotal, rather than a diagnosis of a book from an objective standpoint. I start off my review by saying that because I was given this book to read as an assignment from work. As my church staff and I have been reading through the book, some of my time was spent mulling over the chapters, all another parts I spent through it. Bolsinger’s approach to leadership, I would argue, is timeless, and in many ways, very practical in the context of vocational ministry. So, in that regard, I really enjoyed the book.

Warren Richey’s memoir Without a Paddle is a remarkable physical and emotional journey that cuts to the heart of what it means to be a man, a husband, and a father. If you are planning on canoeing in the upper Wye around Hay on Wye then Wye Valley Canoes offer a half-day trip from Glasbury to Hay on Wye or a full day from Glasbury to Whitney on Wye. The rather finely positioned River Inn Café in Glasbury is a great spot to begin and end. For multi-day camping adventures, Celtic Canoes will give you all you need for a 2- or 3-day trip to Hereford. Unrelenting winds, carnivorous polar bears, snake nests, sweltering heat, and constant hunger. Paddling from Minneapolis to Hudson Bay, following the 2,000-mile route made famous by Eric Sevareid in his 1935 classic Canoeing with the Cree, Natalie Warren and Ann Raiho faced unexpected trials, some harrowing, some simply odd. But for the two friends—the first women to make this expedition—there was one timeless challenge: the occasional pitfalls that test character and friendship. Warren’s spellbinding account retraces the women’s journey from inspiration to Arctic waters, giving readers an insider view from the practicalities of planning a three-month canoe expedition to the successful accomplishment of the adventure of a lifetime. It is possible to prepare for the future without knowing what it will be. The primary way to prepare for the unknown is to attend to the quality of our relationships, to how well we know and trust one another. Margaret Wheatley, “When Change Is Out of Control”

Nearly two million people come to Alaska every summer, some on large cruise ships, some in single kayaks–all in search of the last great wilderness, the Africa of America. It is exactly the America Heacox finds in this story of paradox, love, and loss. And thus, these are the hardest and most painful challenges for a leader to face as it always means asking people to stop doing what they have done for years, and instead to do something else. How many of these adaptive changes have our churches had to make this year? This has certainly been the test for pastors’ ability to lead off the map! This is a guidebook for learning to lead in a world we weren’t prepared for. Our guides will be none other than the first American adventurers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. 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) Whether you are looking for a quiet float along a rural stretch of flat water or an exciting paddle through Class IV rapids, this book will guide your way.

Written by the American canoe Association and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Introduction to Paddling is an easy-to-understand guide to flatwater and river paddling. Based on an earlier work by the Ohio DNR, Flat-water Paddler, this amply illustrated book tells beginning paddlers everything they need to know, from appropriate clothing to the parts of the boat, from correct strokes to proper safety concerns. Good for instructors and those who like to teach themselves, this book is an important resource for those who like to paddle or want to start. Leadership is disappointing your own people at a rate they can absorb. RONALD HEIFETZ AND MARTY LINSKY”

Canoeing is one of the fastest-growing outdoor activities—more that 9 million people enjoy the experience each year. It allows you to socialize with friends and family while exploring new places as you relax and enjoy the outdoors. Canoeing not only provides you with the basic skills and knowledge you need to safely head out for adventures on a variety of water trails but also presents a strong foundational understanding of this recreational activity. What does pastoral leadership look like in a dramatically changing (and largely unknown) cultural context? This is the question that Tod Bolsinger set out to answer in his 2018 book Canoeing the Mountains: Christian Leadership in Uncharted Territory. Bolsinger is currently Fuller Seminary’s vice president for vocation and formation—and assistant professor of practical theology—and was a pastor for nearly thirty years in the Presbyterian Church (USA). Using an analogy from the famous eighteenth-century expedition of the vast Louisiana territory by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, Bolsinger urges Christian leaders to get off the beaten path and set out on uncharted territory as the Church faces considerable new realities. The hire company provides a waterproof barrel to store things you don’t want to get wet. If you fancy a wild swim (and you should) don’t forget your swimming trunks and a towel. If you expect one of your party is likely to splash about and get you wet, bring a change of clothes. But if we are convinced that a change is necessary, how do we bring it without alienating the whole church? How do we face the losses and fears in our congregations, the opposition and resistance in our leaders, and the anxieties and insecurities in ourselves to truly lead the church through this adventure-or-die moment? How do we develop leaders for mission in this rapidly changing, uncharted-territory world?”