Yes, a former mob boss has good advice for church leadership. Michael Franzese turned his life around and has penned the leadership lessons he learned in his new book, I’ll Make You An Offer You Can’t Refuse.

Having lived two different leadership styles, Michael compares the leadership styles of the worldly Machiavelli and the godly King Solomon. However, I particularly appreciate two bits of advice Michael gives early in the book.

There is no magic formula that will guarantee your success.

This life principle is important in any field, but in the pursuit of effective ministry, it is extremely important. There is no perfect church model. There are no 3 steps to megachurch perfection. God has given us each a unique calling. And unique callings require unique formulas to achieve success.

First, nail down the basics.

I am a firm believer of not pursuing the next steps until you have the basics covered. In ministry, first you need sound theology. First, you need the Great Commission. First, you need love. Paul sums up this concept beautifully in 1 Corinthians 13 when he talks about how his ministry efforts would be worthless without love.

Of course, I’ll Make You An Offer You Can’t Refuse has many more leadership nuggets than these, but you will need to read the book for the rest.