In a recent interview, Ted Engstrom told us: “Today the church needs to be particularly mobile, ready to adjust itself to the times and to the personality of leadership. “
I’m not one to complain about the rash of books that come out each year. Any book that stimulates thought and action has merit for the Christian. I look for stimulating books that address the reader pragmatically and meet me at my points of need. We are called to be change agents, and books ought to assist in just that-helping us to effect beneficial change in our society and world.
We cannot effect that change unless we have disciplined lives, and Richard Foster’s Celebration of Discipline provides insight into spiritual disciplines which lead to liberated lives. Dividing the book into inward, outward, and corporate disciplines, Foster shares much about prayer, fasting, solitude, worship, and service. One section deals with the service of listening. Just as love of God begins with listening to his Word, so the beginning of love for people is learning to listen to them-an essential lesson for those of us who constantly deal with people, This book provides clear-cut steps to spiritual growth; it is one of the finest books I’ve seen in recent months.
The Training of the Twelve by A.B. Bruce is one of the most helpful books on leadership training that I’ve come across. It has to do with Christ investing himself in his disciples; teaching them to practice daily disciplines that foster spiritual growth and leadership. For instance, he made frequent efforts to instill the practice of prayer into his disciples: In the Sermon on the Mount, he cautioned his hearers about pharisaic showiness and heathenish repetition, and presented prayer as a model of simplicity, comprehensiveness, and brevity. In another section, the book outlines what could only be called “the rewards of self-sacrifice,” The contrast between what is forsaken and what rewards are received is striking. The twelve had forsaken fishing boats and nets, and they were to be rewarded with thrones; and everyone who forsakes anything for the kingdom of God is promised a return of a hundred-fold. Bruce has given us a tremendous lesson on the generosity of the master whom Christians serve.
Reading Rich Christian in an Age of Hunger by Ronald J. Sider forced me to review my lifestyle and to discover what it means to live in the midst of a hungry and suffering world. The book presents an important biblical attitude toward prosperity and wealth, and points out that our God is the sovereign Lord of history, and that economics is not a secular sphere independent of his Lordship. Economic activity, like every other area of life, should be subject to his will and revelation.
Sider pulls no punches in pointing out that North Americans live on an affluent island amid a sea of starving humanity, yet we actually believe we can just barely get along on our salaries. We need to view our finances according to biblical principles, and we need to put these principles into practice. Observing the verse, “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth,” John Wesley earned 1400 pounds annually from the sale of his books, spent only 30 on himself, and gave the rest away.
Elton Trueblood’s The Company of the Committed provides me with some very warm instruction and help in the area of Christian communities. In emphasizing the necessity of widespread Christian commitment, Trueblood points out that when we think of religion as the professional responsibility of clergy, we severely minimize the religious responsibility of other men and women. We need to think of Christian commitment and dedication as something that should be the responsibility of every believer. The book provides important insight for those trying to get a grasp on lay ministry as it relates to vital Christianity. Trueblood mentions the fact that thousands of men and women who are employed secularly now affirm openly that they are ministers of Christ in everyday life. This is a source of tremendous hope, for it shows that lay people have an important function in leading, loving, and providing direction for the church.
Finally, Servant Leadership by Robert Greenleaf offers nuggets of truth which all Christian leaders should absorb and put into practice. We live in an age when individuals in power are suspect and their authority questioned; our society needs qualified servant leaders to rebuild structures of trust between leaders and followers. Greenleaf offers models of successful servant leaders, past and present, and these in themselves justify reading the book.
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