It's summer, and that means it's time for barbeque, beaches, and books!

For pastors, summer usually means some vacation time; for the fortunate ones, several weeks of church-provided study leave may be on the horizon. Such times offer a wonderful opportunity to depart from the usual reading program -- typically weighted toward sermon preparation -- and "take a dip" into some new and unexplored streams.

Herewith, some possible side trips for summer reading:

Bob Briner, The Management Methods of Jesus (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1996), 115 pp., hardcover, $14.99.

The shelves of bookstores are full to overflowing with business books, but this one offers a worthwhile hour of reading to any pastor. It's brief (an hour should do it) but packed with insightful ideas on management, based on the life and teachings of Jesus.

The slim volume contains 49 short chapters, each a management principle, such as "Choose Your Own Associates," "Field-Test Your Staff," "Share the Glory," and "Stand Up for Your People." While targeted to the business leader, pastors who manage staff will find useful ideas for their own work, and interesting illustrative material for sermons. (Oops, we're supposed to be reading things other than for sermons this summer!)

In the chapter entitled "Beware of Sycophants," Briner says: "The higher up the corporate ladder you go, the greater the temptation to let yourself be surrounded by 'yes-men.' There is a great temptation to believe their baloney. This is always dangerous. In the first place, though you may be blind to it, your business associates recognize sycophancy for what it is--ego boosting running wild--and they will lose respect for you. Also, the higher you go, the greater your need for solid, truthful, critical advice and information ... You need to be the kind of leader who appreciates and rewards those who will tell you the truth, no matter how distasteful that truth might be."

Briner is president of Pro Serv television and an Emmy-award winning producer.

Authetic Christianity: From the Writings of John Stott, ed by Timothy Dudley-Smith (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1995), 426 pp., hardcover.

John Stott has been one of the church's most significant voices in this century, and this delightful collection provides us a choice series of excerpts from his many books and articles. The excerpts are organized under 67 different chapter headings, which are grouped under divisions such as "The living God," "Revelation and Scripture," Living as a Christian," and "Into all the world."

Pastors will particularly enjoy the chapter on "Ministers and Ministry," but don't limit your reading to this section. Stott fans will appreciate the chance to be reminded of the tremendous insights offered by this gifted Christian preacher over the past five decades; those who are new to Stott will find this volume an excellent introduction to this gifted Christian communicator and theologian. (If you are new to Stott, make the effort to track down a copy of his 1961 book, The Preacher's Portrait, published by Eerdmans -- one of the best works on preaching you'll ever read.)