I’ve gone through a number of “leadership phases” in my 52 years of living and serving Jesus’ Church. Each season was marked by a Christian author\/speaker and the volumes of work they would produce that impacted me, and so many others like me.<\/p>\n
Although written in 1967, I remember when “Spiritual Leadership” by J. Oswald Sanders<\/a> really struck a chord in the Christian leadership zeitgeist. I was a young volunteer leader in the youth group that I grew up in. I was learning how to lead a meeting, prepare a Bible message, give an altar call, and facilitate a Bible study. Sanders classic was a go to, and frankly, it still has got some good steam, as modern generations discover its weight and worth.<\/p>\n In 1979 John Maxwell<\/a> wrote his first book, with billions more to come. It wasn’t his best work, but it opened the door to a whole world of leadership books, talks, seminars and conferences. Maxwell is the OG of Christian Leadership. I bought many a cassette tape-series (and then the move to compact disc), attended a slew of 1\/2 day seminars, and forked over lots of personal hard earned cash, and the “widows-mite” church budget line to Maxwell. He would often begin his seminars with “My name is John, and I’m your friend.” Then he would go on to give us such notables as “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care,” and his famous “Leadership is Influence.”<\/a><\/p>\n More on that famous phrase in a moment, but first I’ll mention his protege’: Andy Stanley<\/a>. After a brief hiatus of all things John Maxwell, I discovered Atlanta megachurch pastor\/leader Andy Stanley. Cut from the Maxwell cloth, Stanley gave us leadership lessons for a new generation. He was current. He had young kids at home. He was still leading a church, unlike “Just call me John” Maxwell. I consumed any and all Andy Stanley. Our church in Washington State might as well have been an extension campus of Northpoint Church. For a fee, I’ll bet we could have become one.<\/p>\n I then took a long break from all things leadership. My stomach couldn’t do another CD lesson or blog post, even from Foursquare legends such as Wayne Cordeiro<\/a> and Ralph Moore<\/a>. I wanted nothing to do with church growth gurus such Donald McGaveran<\/a>, C.Peter Wagner<\/a>, Robert Schuller<\/a>, or Lyle Schaller<\/a>. I lump Bill Hybels <\/a>and Rick Warren<\/a> into that pile as well.<\/p>\n For an extended season all I could read was Eugene Peterson.<\/a><\/p>\n