The church has a leadership crisis. For every celebrity pastor exiting in the spotlight, there are hundreds of lesser known pastors leaving in the shadows. Why are so many pastors leaving the ministry?
Best-selling author Paul David Tripp suggests that lurking behind the failure of a pastor is a weak leadership community. Turning to the Scripture for guidance, Tripp presents listeners with 12 leadership-community principles necessary for a gospel-centered leadership model, making this an essential tool for anyone in church leadership. Here is a book with a message for the young and hopeful, as well as the experienced and weary — God’s abiding presence is your hope in ministry leadership.
“As is often said, everything rises or falls on leadership, including the family, the home, and the spiritual self. Dangerous Calling was eerily prophetic in its anticipation of the fall of a number of high-profile leaders, each one adding to the heartbreak of a church in a leadership crisis. I am grateful to see that conversation extended, and I hope many will not only read this book, but saturate themselves in the gospel it puts forward.” (J. D. Greear, President, Southern Baptist Convention; author, Not God Enough; Pastor, The Summit Church, Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina)
“Tripp’s books have been some of the most influential books in my life. Lead is no exception! You will find within the pages of this book practical, gospel-centered help as you lead and serve others.” (Jennie Allen, New York Times best-selling author, Get Out of Your Head; Founder, IF:Gathering)
“This book is the perfect complement to Tripp’s Dangerous Calling. The warning of ‘functional gospel amnesia’ captures so well why this book is needed. Leaders do not need more gimmicks. Leaders need more grace. They need more gospel.” (Daniel L. Akin, President, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary)
Preface
Introduction: Crisis
Achievement
Principle 1: A ministry community whose time is controlled by doing the business of the church tends to be spiritually unhealthy.
Gospel
Principle 2: If your leaders are going to be tools of God’s grace, they need to be committed to nurture that grace in one another’s lives.
Limits
Principle 3: Recognizing God-ordained limits of gift, time, energy and maturity is essential to leading a ministry community well.
Balance
Principle 4: Teaching your leaders to recognize and balance the various callings in their life is a vital contribution to their success.
Character
Principle 5: A spiritually healthy leadership community acknowledges that character is more important than structure or strategies.
War
Principle 6: It is essential to understand that leadership in any gospel ministry is spiritual warfare.
Servants
Principle 7: Being called to leadership in the church is a call to a life of willing sacrifice and service.
Candor
Principle 8: A spiritually healthy leadership community is characterized by the humility of approachability and the courage of loving honesty.
Identity
Principle 9: Where your leaders look for identity will always determine how they lead.
Restoration
Principle 10: If a leadership community is formed by the gospel it will always be committed to a lifestyle of fresh starts and new beginnings.
Longevity
Principle 11: For church leaders, ministry longevity is always the result of gospel community.
Presence
Principle 12: You will only handle the inevitable weakness, failure, and sin of your leaders when you view them through the lens of the presence, power, promises, and grace of Jesus.
©2020 Paul David Tripp (P)2020 Paul Tripp Ministries, Inc.
