Lance Pittluck

It has been said by many that in some way, we are all leaders. One popular leadership book believes leadership to be more of a mindset than a positional role. In Simple Thoughts on Leadership, Lance Pittluck points out, “I believe people are born with a certain capacity for leadership. God himself determines the scope of this, but although it is God-given, this potential can be developed or left undeveloped or even dormant.” The truth is, while all of us will be called to exercise leadership in some area, we all have different leadership responsibilities. Those in positional roles of leadership in ministry and church should constantly be in pursuit of ongoing learning, growth, and maturity in their leadership abilities. Leadership, regardless if it is in a formal or positional role or not, carries with it the potential of influence. However, to quote Pittluck, “influence itself is neutral. It can be for good or for evil.” As leaders, we must not only pursue ongoing learning, growth, and maturity but also intentionality and self-awareness, so we know how we are influencing people and with what influences we are swaying them. Pittluck points out, “Leadership gives you the power to influence people, but how you influence them is in accordance with your heart and the choices you make.” This book is a great challenge to the reader along these realities.

This book is written to challenge the reader to learn, grow, and mature in their leadership and their spiritual lives. It also gives rhythms to develop more intentionality and self-awareness around our ministry and influence. However, this book also comes from a leader who has walked out spiritual and ministry leadership in many ways, places and positions. His experience comes from not only fruitfulness but also his failures. His book transparently shares with you his journey to faith and ministry, but also the loss and loneliness of leadership.

Readers should be aware that this book reads much more like a memoir or blog post than a book that has been developed and produced by a professional editor. While this may give us more of a raw and inside view to Lance and his lessons, I also think it hurts the overall congruency, consistency, and quality of some of the content. This book is not exhaustive; it is a collective. It is not theological; it is topical. It is not reporting; it is reflective. However, if you can get past those points and the simple grammar syntax, then what you are reading is a book full of deep richness and experience. It also offers insight into some of the leadership, experiences, theology influences of others that have been transformative to Lance.

Lance is a graduate of Fuller Seminary and Pepperdine University. He is most known for serving as the Lead Pastor at the Anaheim Vineyard for over twenty years. The Anaheim Vineyard became a church community under John Wimber, then it was pastored briefly by Carl Tuttle, but had probably it’s longest run and tenure under Lance Pittluck. Before serving as a senior pastoral leader at Anaheim Vineyard, Lance served in leadership at the Anaheim Hills Community Church and The South Shore Vineyard. Lance has also worked with Vineyard Ministries International, the national board of Vineyard USA, and in various regional leadership roles for Vineyard USA.

My personal experience with Lance is limited. However, I wish to reflect on it because it is why I read this book, and it leads to why I think you should. My journey towards faith brought me into the Vineyard Church movement in 2003, through the Lancaster Vineyard Church (Pennsylvania). I had intentionally de-churched myself some years prior, after some experiences of disillusionment, and was skeptical of anything to do with the church. The Vineyard Church movement looked, acted, and smelled different for me. In 2005, I took a break from my ‘home Vineyard’ and was on a festival circuit tour that ended in August, in Washington State. From there, I hitchhiked down to my fiance’s house in Fountain Valley, California. I had started to attend church at the Vineyard Anaheim, right as I became a barista in their bookstore and café known as ‘The Book Cellar.’ I only worked there for about five months and interacted very little with Lance during those months before I headed back to Pennsylvania. However, I study people. I love to watch and read people. A lot of that was probably because back then I trusted very few people. However, what I noticed about Lance rubbed off on me and it plays into why I read this book.

What I instantly noticed about Lance was these five things;

1. He loved people. Often while getting a drink or stopping in the café to meet with someone, Lance would stop and inquire about my life. He always remembered that I was from the Philadelphia area, and would tell me about some relatable article he had recently read in a news source or magazine. While with him, you could sense he wanted to be there with you.

2. He was gentle. I am a Type-8 on the Enneagram. I speak my mind; I can be short and abrupt – especially then. Unfortunately, I am soft hearted, but my presence doesn’t always portray that. What I saw with Lance was the way he preached was the same way he talked to you. He was calm, and he carried a non-anxious presence.

3. He was humble. I remember during an evening of prayer and anointing, Lance wasn’t the ‘great man’ performing the healing as I expected in the church from my upbringing. That evening, and at other similar moments that I saw, Lance was there to receive prayer and anointing. He led by a broken example.

4. He had the Vineyard-Vibe. While Lance is very different from Jerry Shannon, the pastor of my ‘home Vineyard,’ it was obvious they both had something similar ‘rub off on them’ I never really named it but noticed many similarities in their character that was disarming and relaxing, both in their persona and their preaching. Back then I didn’t have language for it, but I do now… the Vineyard-Vibe. I am pastoring in another church movement these days and recently visited a local Vineyard with our Worship Leader. He was sure that their pastor must have been an influence on me, because of our similarities in preaching and conversation. He said we shared a certain ‘vibe.’ As I thought about the pastor in which he was talking about, I realized that Mark had what Jerry had. It is what Carl had; it is what Lance had. It was the Vineyard-Vibe, and for someone to notice that in me, in my outstanding differences, I felt honored and encouraged.

5. He spoke with quiet authority. When I watched Lance preach, he was not only humble and calm, but he had about him a quietness that was deeply knowledgeable about the scriptures and the Spirit. They emerged from his speaking, not planned, but as evidence to his heart and study. He also spoke with authority of the Holy Spirit in gentle ways. Once, I recall him shutting down a moment in which was obviously not the Holy Spirit in a worship gathering, and Lance gently but firmly took grasp of the situation and led the congregation through the distraction.

Those five interactions and influences have stuck with me for a long time. Since then my interaction with Lance has been nothing more than the fact that I am a follower of a few of his social media networks. Another reviewer of this book has pointed out that, “a leader of any kind would at least have a few followers giving his book glowing five-star reviews.” As of right now, I am not a disciple, follower, fan, or friend of Lance and any such lens does not bias my review. I can’t personally tell you that Lance is an amazing leader or a terrible one. Though, I have seen that various reviewers of this book will tell you he is one or the other. However, while I can’t sing his praises or confess his brokenness, I will tell you why I do recommend this book in addition to the five interactions and influences in which I named above.

I have read lots of books on leadership. I have spoken about leadership. Throughout my life, in various ways, I have been a leader. However, when I became Lead Pastor of an aging and revitalizing institutionalized church community, I knew I was entering new and unfamiliar territory. As I began to wonder how I should develop my leadership capacity through learning, growth, and maturity as a leader – the Lord had put Lance Pittluck on my mind (among other things). A few months later, I purchased through Amazon the book, Simple thoughts on Leadership. This book had been out of print for many years and what I found was a book that challenged me and aided me, even though I admittedly first cringed at its simplicity in grammar, structure, font, formatting, and visual appeal. It is a book that gave me some deeper rhythms and insight into leadership, into authority, and into both leading and caring for people. I took my time through the read, reflecting on it chapter by chapter. Now, I am preparing to lead my Ministry Team through this book. My takeaways are big enough to overcome my issues of informalities with the book, and it is for that reason I rate it a five-star.

Pittluck shares that “John Wimber often asked his apprentices, “what business are you in?” The answer was to be “we are in the people-processing business. We are here to make disciples, and everything we do should relate directly or indirectly to that business. If you lose that as your focus, the enemy will keep you in a constant state of confusion and distraction.” Jesus left a legacy through three years of ministry because he focused on disciple-making and multiplication. I think if you buy this book and you “chew on the meat, and spit out the bones,” that you will find the rhythm and DNA to living out such memorable servant leadership.

Leaders don’t last, but as Lance points out our influence can last, as long as we remember and practice these seven reflections.

1. First, leaders always need to be developing an ever-deepening relationship with Jesus.
2. Second, you must learn how to respond rightly to hardship.
3. Third, you need to continually focus on learning and growing.
4. Fourth, we need to continue to take care of our body.
5. Fifth, it really is okay to have some fun.
6. Sixth, please build a support system.
7. Seventh, if you want to last, you will need to find what you do well and do that a lot.… (mere)