THE Book on Leadership
There has not been an assignment that has impacted me more than this one: To blog on a book written about leadership that’s over 300 years old.
Here’s why it has been so impactful: 300+ year old history is full of books, but it was surprising to me to discover how difficult it was to find many of them that were written about leadership. Conversely, it was almost too easy to find leadership-focused books written in my lifetime.
In other words, for thousands of years, relatively few books were written about leadership but in the last few years, there have been thousands of books produced on the topic.
What’s most astounding to me is that this is a fact not just in general, but it holds true in the Christian world as well. Pastors didn’t seem to be writing books about leadership over 300 years ago. Now it seems to be all we’re writing about.
As a pastor who earned a BA in Christian leadership, an MA in Leadership-and-Spirituality, and who is closing in on a Doctorate in Leadership and Global Perspectives (if I can finish!), this revelation is a reality check.
I’m aware that organizational life has changed and become more complex over time, and the need for leadership and management practices has increased. Resources on leadership can be helpful, and even essential. But maybe we’ve gotten out of balance and made leadership itself the main thing.
But back to the search for ancient leadership texts. When I did an AI search to find 300+ year old books about leadership the usual suspects came up:
The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli (1513), Meditations by Marcus Aurelius (circa 180 AD), The Art of War by Sun Tzu (circa 5th century BC), The Republic by Plato (circa 380 BC).
I could have blogged on any of these, but my search also suggested The Torah as an ancient leadership resource. Being a Bible guy, I wanted to reflect on that.
The Bible seems to hold leadership in good tension. It’s full of examples of great and terrible leaders, and it has admonitions for leaders, but it treats leadership as one of many gifts, assignments, and functions that are vital for the church to operate well.
To get more specific I would point to:
Nehemiah: This is a great book on leadership told from the perspective of a person who led through personal sacrifice, pain, obstacles, and ridicule.
Joshua: This text is still used today in military leadership training[i], the first part of this book points to battlefield strategies and strong leadership that helps a people turn into a nation.
1 Samuel: I keep saying I want to write an article or book on the leadership actions of King Saul juxtaposed with David’s leadership heart. But of course, that book has already been written. 1 Samuel provides stark contrast between a leader who is functioning for expediency and one who is surrendered to God.
Acts: Literally the “Acts of the Apostles” this book is a fast-paced story of how founding leaders operate as they take the first steps of establishing the most enduring institution in the world, the Church.
Timothy and Titus: While the books mentioned above are leadership lessons in narrative form (no, Patrick Lencioni didn’t make that up), both 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus are letters written specifically to pastor-leaders serving in the context of what we would call today a local network of churches.
Those are all books that could be pointed to as ancient leadership texts, but the book I want to suggest for the purpose of this assignment is Proverbs. Written from a King to his sons (who would be preparing for future leadership), this book that is accepted as wisdom for the general public is actually written for an emerging leader of a nation.
Wisdom about leadership and life is necessary for someone who is, as a simple definition of leadership suggests, guiding and influencing others towards a common vision or goal. This book is about acting wisely, but ultimately gets at the heart of a leader regarding subjects as diverse as overindulgence to the fear of God to friendship to sexual temptation and much, much more.
Whether found in Proverbs or any of the other books (I haven’t even touched on the patriarchs or the prophets or Jesus’ servant-leadership style) the entire Bible could be considered prime content for leadership. One need only remember that one of the ‘rules’ for Israel’s King’s was that they were to write, in their own hand, the entirety of God’s law and read it daily in order to be a good leader (Deut 17:18-19).
So, leadership IS important in the Bible. But perhaps we leaders have overstated its relative importance and forget that it is one of many gifts and tasks Jesus uses to make up his gloriously diverse body.
[i] http://www.biblestudyemail.com/karmelich_joshua/Joshua_Chapter11.htm
About the Author
Tim Clark
I'm on a lifelong journey of discovering the person God has created me to be and aligning that with the purpose God has created me for. I've been pressing hard after Jesus for 40 years, and I currently serve Him as the lead pastor of vision and voice at The Church On The Way in Los Angeles. I live with my wife and 3 kids in Burbank California.14 responses to “THE Book on Leadership”
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Hey Tim, I almost chose to write about The Prince or Meditations too, but found the tone too dark for where I am right now. But I really appreciated how you tied leadership into the Biblical context, especially your focus on Proverbs and its wisdom for emerging leaders—such a great perspective!
Thanks, Mathieu. At first I dismissed the idea as “cheating” but I think its a miss to not consider some of the books of the bible when thinking abut ancient leadership wisdom.
Of course you picked the Bible, you Jesus-y pastor-nerd!
🙂
I appreciate the solid overview of leadership in the Scriptures, and yet, how would you answer the voices that say that modern, Western Christianity has perhaps made the Bible to be TOO much about leadership, ala, John Maxwell (who actually has produced the Maxwell Leadership Bible!). Have we taken “leadership” too far?
John short answer: YES.
It’s part of my contention in my blog, that pastors have written so many books on leadership in modern times. Leadersip is an important task, but not the only task. And while there is great leadership material in the bible, the Bible is not, ultimately, a book on leadership.
I almost picked the Bible too…
I went with a bunch of children’s fables instead.
Great job on pointing out books in the bible that demonstrate leadership. We don’t always read the stories through the leadership lens so it will be interesting to go back and read it in that way.
I could have gone on and on… becuse I have a leadership lens I can see it all over the bible. But like I told John, the Bible is not ABOUT leadershp (much like, I imagine, your kids books).
BTW I love the idea of children’s fables. One of my favorite genres. I’m looking forward to reading your blog.
Loved this post!
Your thoughts on the fascination of leadership over the last century resonate deeply. Perhaps we have, to some extent, traded leadership paradigms for the deeper work of spiritual formation. I often think of Eugene Peterson, who simply lived life with his congregation, and took the role of “pastor” as shepherd seriously.
Also, thank you for the brief overview of leadership through some of the books of the Bible. Sounds like good material for a leadership training…or maybe you can nix that and have a contemplative prayer retreat:)
While I accept that “leadershp” is where I have landed in the church space, I do think you are right. Spiritual formation is the deeper work. In fact, I wonder if often we have traded one for the other because in most ways leadership is easier than spiritual formation?
Your comment on Peterson simply living life with his congregation calls attention to one of our books we will read this semester: Leadershp and the New Science, that urges not command and control leadership but the relational reality of walking alongside self-regulating systems and watchign what emerges. Kinda like Spiritual Formation! 🙂
It’s interesting that you focus on Proverbs as your leadership text. I was actually just thinking I need a good commentary or the like on Proverbs. Might you have any suggestions?
Kim I really don’t. I’ve thought that about Proverbs before but because I have never done an exegetical series on Proverbs I haven’t loaded up on commentaries.
But if you find one let me know and I’ll do the same.
I do think, however, when you do the top level exegetical work on Proverbs and recognize that the context is written to sons of a king who would be preparing for leadershp, that it provides a uniqe and maybe unexpected framework for the book.
Thanks for your summary of some of these books. I love the wisdom of the proverbs, and the Bible is an excellent place for this topic.
Why do you think books on “leadership” have taken off so much in the last century? Are we trying to be better at it? Do we need more leaders? What is your theory?
What a great question, Jana. I’m not sure.
Are we trying to do better? Sure
Do we need more leaders? I suppose so, in a world of increasing organizational complexity.
But is some of it hubris? I think so. It feels good to ‘be in charge’ or to think you could be in charge, or that you can control what may feel uncontrollable, so leadership becomes our ‘go to’.
Which isn’t generally a problem, except in the church perhaps it is. When we take one gift and make it into the most important gift (and the only one we wright about); when we take the pastor-shepherd role and limit it to leader tasks (not leaning into the spiritual direction and prayer, and other important parts of it), I think we are cheapening the wide expression of God’s diversity in gifts and assignments.
Man, Tim, I love reading your posts. I love how your words flow just like water flowing over rocks. Tim, what would be one of the most important leadership lessons you have learned in the past 2 years. Feel free to write less than 3,000 words for your answer. 😊
Wow, Todd. I’m so blessed and encouraged by your response.
One of my most important leadership lessons is that leadership is only one of God’s gifts to the church, and every other gift is just as vital. As a leader, I dare not think of myself more highly than I ought to, but see my one contribution alongside all other contributions to the body of Christ.