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The 15 Descriptions of Love: Applied to All Christian Leaders & Teachers
This book is for all church leaders and teachers at every level of church ministry.
If you lead or teach people—as a Sunday school teacher, youth worker, women’s or men’s ministry leader, Bible study leader, administrator, music director, elder, deacon, pastor, evangelist, or missionary—The 15 Descriptions of Love will help you become more skilled in dealing with people and a more loving leader and teacher.
This 80-page booklet is an excerpt from the book "A Christian Leader’s Guide to Leading with Love."
A companion Study Guide will be available for download soon. Together, these resources make an excellent study for personal use or for small groups.
If you lead or teach people—as a Sunday school teacher, youth worker, women’s or men’s ministry leader, Bible study leader, administrator, music director, elder, deacon, pastor, evangelist, or missionary—The 15 Descriptions of Love will help you become more skilled in dealing with people and a more loving leader and teacher.
This 80-page booklet is an excerpt from the book "A Christian Leader’s Guide to Leading with Love."
A companion Study Guide will be available for download soon. Together, these resources make an excellent study for personal use or for small groups.
75 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2018
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38 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
August 9, 2021
"This book is for all church leaders and teachers at every level of church ministry."
This is the headline sentence on the back cover of this wee book. I would both agree and disagree with it. I agree that all church leaders and teachers at every level do need the message presented by Alexander Strauch in this book. However, I also disagree that it is only for leaders and teachers, all Christians need the 15 descriptions of love applied to them. I know that Alexander will both understand my comment and agree with it!
As the back cover goes on to say, this booklet is an excerpt from A Christian Leader's Guide to Leading with Love. This version was produced in order to make the material on 1 Corinthians accessible to people who do not wish to read the full book - a notion that I don't understand!
With Alexander's gift for pithiness and clarity, he undertakes an exposition and practical and personal application of the 15 descriptions of love that Paul pens in 1 Corinthians 13. The booklet could be read in a couple of hours, but I found reading a chapter at a time, carefully considering what has been written, and engaging in some self-assessment meant that I benefitted more than a simple read-through.
I am planning to use the contents of this wee book as part of a Church leaders seminar which I am developing, and I am excited to see how this will inform, excite, challenge, and transform others in much the same way it has me!
A firm 5-star read!
This is the headline sentence on the back cover of this wee book. I would both agree and disagree with it. I agree that all church leaders and teachers at every level do need the message presented by Alexander Strauch in this book. However, I also disagree that it is only for leaders and teachers, all Christians need the 15 descriptions of love applied to them. I know that Alexander will both understand my comment and agree with it!
As the back cover goes on to say, this booklet is an excerpt from A Christian Leader's Guide to Leading with Love. This version was produced in order to make the material on 1 Corinthians accessible to people who do not wish to read the full book - a notion that I don't understand!
With Alexander's gift for pithiness and clarity, he undertakes an exposition and practical and personal application of the 15 descriptions of love that Paul pens in 1 Corinthians 13. The booklet could be read in a couple of hours, but I found reading a chapter at a time, carefully considering what has been written, and engaging in some self-assessment meant that I benefitted more than a simple read-through.
I am planning to use the contents of this wee book as part of a Church leaders seminar which I am developing, and I am excited to see how this will inform, excite, challenge, and transform others in much the same way it has me!
A firm 5-star read!
March 4, 2020
This little book is a helpful overview of the importance of love within leadership. The author walks through the descriptions of love from 1 Corinthians 13 and helps the reader understand the significance of each quality. While being an excerpt from a larger book, the size makes it a great resource to take others through.
April 13, 2020
I read this short book, or being only a little over 70 pages, booklet for reflection on Good Friday. I took a break from reading the quite long Walter Isaacson biography of Benjamin Franklin, and a biblical study guide for a Sunday School class. As you might realize the class has been suspended for a few weeks.
Alexander Strauch’s descriptions of Love from the so called “Love Chapter” of the bible, 1 Corinthians 13, was informative and interesting. There, of course, were many personal stories and applications to take away from the book. There were also many biblical cross reference passages that enhanced the author’s narrative. He quoted several Christian scholars, teachers, and authors. There were so many, some I knew, and others Strauch introduced me to. There are too many for me to list here but I took notes on ones that I would like to check out through “Google”, or would like to read their works. So much reading to do and so little time—every time I read a book, I am prompted to read at least three more…
Quotes from the book to remember:
Speaking of the Apostle Paul’s purpose in writing 1 Corinthians 13:
“He wanted them (the Corinthians and by extension us) to know there is something far more important than supernatural gifts (spoken of in Chapters 12 and 14), something that transcends the most excellent gifts and performances, something that if absent will render all gifts worthless. That something is love.” Parenthetical mine…
“Kindness is a readiness to do good, to help, to relieve burdens, to be useful, to serve, to be tender, and to be sympathetic to others. It has been said, ‘Kindness is love in work clothes.’”
Strauch quotes an unnamed commentator:
“The problem was not that the church was in Corinth but that too much of Corinth was in the church.”
Strauch quotes C.S. Lewis:
“It was through Pride that the devil became the devil: Pride leads to every other vice: it is the complete anti-God state of mind.”
“Life according to the ‘more excellent way’ doesn’t keep a journal of injustices and emotional hurts. It makes no plans to get even. Instead, ‘love is generous in her forgetfulness.’ Love forgives and blesses those who have caused offense.”
“Love also trusts God and His Word and this makes all the difference in how one views and responds to people and difficult problems. Faith views people and life through the lens of God’s sovereign purposes for his people.” And I see this as faith and the love of God working together in the loving believer…
Alexander Strauch’s descriptions of Love from the so called “Love Chapter” of the bible, 1 Corinthians 13, was informative and interesting. There, of course, were many personal stories and applications to take away from the book. There were also many biblical cross reference passages that enhanced the author’s narrative. He quoted several Christian scholars, teachers, and authors. There were so many, some I knew, and others Strauch introduced me to. There are too many for me to list here but I took notes on ones that I would like to check out through “Google”, or would like to read their works. So much reading to do and so little time—every time I read a book, I am prompted to read at least three more…
Quotes from the book to remember:
Speaking of the Apostle Paul’s purpose in writing 1 Corinthians 13:
“He wanted them (the Corinthians and by extension us) to know there is something far more important than supernatural gifts (spoken of in Chapters 12 and 14), something that transcends the most excellent gifts and performances, something that if absent will render all gifts worthless. That something is love.” Parenthetical mine…
“Kindness is a readiness to do good, to help, to relieve burdens, to be useful, to serve, to be tender, and to be sympathetic to others. It has been said, ‘Kindness is love in work clothes.’”
Strauch quotes an unnamed commentator:
“The problem was not that the church was in Corinth but that too much of Corinth was in the church.”
Strauch quotes C.S. Lewis:
“It was through Pride that the devil became the devil: Pride leads to every other vice: it is the complete anti-God state of mind.”
“Life according to the ‘more excellent way’ doesn’t keep a journal of injustices and emotional hurts. It makes no plans to get even. Instead, ‘love is generous in her forgetfulness.’ Love forgives and blesses those who have caused offense.”
“Love also trusts God and His Word and this makes all the difference in how one views and responds to people and difficult problems. Faith views people and life through the lens of God’s sovereign purposes for his people.” And I see this as faith and the love of God working together in the loving believer…
August 20, 2022
This is an interesting take on I Corinthians 13: the “love chapter” in that the author aims its exhortation directly at leaders and teachers in the church asking himself—and us, “What does love look like when practiced by a church leader?”
The short answer is: it looks much like it should be when practiced by any Christian, though the way we develop and adore modern church leaders is often far afield of what a I Corinthians 13 model would require. We have a lot of work to do—and it’s not only the church leaders. Church members who encourage, reinforce, and give adulation to leaders’ actions and attitudes in conflict with I Corinthians 13 are part of the problem and need to see themselves that way.
The one criticism this reader has of the book is the comment in its preface that the book is an excerpt of Strauch’s longer book “A Christian Leader’s Guide to Leading with Love.” The author notes that it is an excerpt for “those who don’t care to read the entire book,” an odd endorsement of his own work.
(On final note for my “stats” obsessed brothers—you know who you are—at 80 pages, yet with good reminders about leading well, keep this one in mind for your end-of-year sprint to the finish.)
The short answer is: it looks much like it should be when practiced by any Christian, though the way we develop and adore modern church leaders is often far afield of what a I Corinthians 13 model would require. We have a lot of work to do—and it’s not only the church leaders. Church members who encourage, reinforce, and give adulation to leaders’ actions and attitudes in conflict with I Corinthians 13 are part of the problem and need to see themselves that way.
The one criticism this reader has of the book is the comment in its preface that the book is an excerpt of Strauch’s longer book “A Christian Leader’s Guide to Leading with Love.” The author notes that it is an excerpt for “those who don’t care to read the entire book,” an odd endorsement of his own work.
(On final note for my “stats” obsessed brothers—you know who you are—at 80 pages, yet with good reminders about leading well, keep this one in mind for your end-of-year sprint to the finish.)
March 24, 2019
Christian leaders need to read this book, even if they have the love chapter memorized. It shows me that I always have room to grow and to become a more loving person.
December 31, 2025
good one !
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews