What do you think?
Rate this book
Leadership, God's Agency, and Disruptions: Confronting Modernity's Wager
Leaders in congregations and Christian organizations wrestle with an unraveling of the world in which they have little experience and training. While they are offered unending resources by experts on leadership, some with claims to biblical blueprints, the challenges seem mismatched to those methods. Branson and Roxburgh frame the situation as one in which “modernity’s wager”—the conviction that God is not necessary for life and wisdom and meaning—has defined the Western imagination. Because churches and leaders are colonized by this ethos, even when God is named and beliefs are claimed, approaches to leadership are blind to God’s agency. Branson and Roxburgh approach this challenge as a work in practical theology, attending to our cultural context, narratives of God’s disruptive initiatives in Scripture, and a reshaping of leadership theories with a priority on God’s agency. With years of experience as teachers, consultants, and guides, they name practices which lead to more faithful participation. Leadership, God’s Agency, and Disruptions is wide-ranging in cultural and biblical scholarship, challenging in its engagement with numerous leadership studies, and practical with its focus toward the on-the-ground life of churches and organizations.
- GenresLeadershipTheology
240 pages, Paperback
Published February 16, 2021
3 people are currently reading
36 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
July 13, 2021
Leadership, God’s Agency, and Disruptions is one of the most profound books on leadership that I’ve been privileged to read. Mark Branson and Alan Roxburgh develop a theology of leadership that stands apart as unique among the glut of leadership books currently in print. At the heart of the book is the assertion that much of church leadership and function has given into “modernity’s wager,” defined as the conviction that life can be lived well without God. Second, they contend that the professionalization of work culture, while not without its benefits, extended improperly to the church community so that pastors and church leaders became professionals more than participants in their communities. As such, the experience of God as primary agent becomes a lofty but meaningless goal as the real goals that churches seek are rooted in consumerism and pragmatic success.
By way of introduction, Branson and Roxburgh presents example of the church in disruption: Israel at the time of Jeremiah, the early church in the book of Acts, and the challenges in the Ephesian church. These disruptions were challenges and opportunities to a new way of worship, service, and engaging in community. Disruption becomes a key element in growth.
From here, the authors return to “modernity’s wager” to sketch a brief history of what they term “Euro-tribal” churches and connect the rise of modernity and the West with the politicization of Christendom. This history shows how Christianity was misused for ethnocentric and nationalistic ends and miscontextualized to allow for heinous evils like slavery and colonization. These chapters set the context in which the Christian leader is placed: We are in a disruption of our own making. The Euro-tribal church is failing because its foundation is set in early modernity’s European reformations and colonizations. As such, there is a need to right the wrongs of Christianity’s past and move forward anew.
The third chapter, then, forges ahead with a discussion of what it means to be human, what it means to be a priest of God, and what it means to be made in his image. It’s a deep, nuanced, complex discussion that needs to be read several times over to grasp in any depth. More than just a book on leadership, Leadership, God’s Agency, and Disruptions is about a new kind of humanity—and thus a new kind of community of church.
The second part of the book is less philosophical and instead focusing on building a theology of leadership as developed through several different narratives. Any one of these chapters is well worth the cost of the book. Branson and Roxburgh dive into the context of Jeremiah, Jesus as seen through Matthew, Acts, and Ephesians to build their leadership theology. Along the way, they focus on elements that go well beyond the typical verses used in leadership texts, creating a robust and nuanced discussion of the role of the leader.
The third of the book moves back to the philosophical, focusing on the linguistic. The authors talk about several different metaphors used in leadership, what they mean, and why the stories those metaphors create are important. Of particular interest was their discussion on “the clergy industry,” which detailed how a complex system of denominations, church networks, seminary training schools, conferences, money-sourcing foundations (underwriting the clergy profession), and congregations—all of whom assume there is a central “product” needed to serve the church, which is generally understood to be the “pastor” or “clergy” whose role is to “minister” to people in a variety of ways. Leadership, God’s Agency, and Disruptions challenges this by saying that Scripture sees the formation of communities, not just leaders—because every believer is to be a priest and leader within the church.
In the end, what Branson and Roxburgh call us to is a new way of doing church and I just want to close with their words:
Making a path as we walk means we don’t need to tell people where they need to be. Rather than vision-casting, the walk begins with the stories of the people with whom we dwell. Start by seeking out those in a congregation who sense the old roads aren’t repairable and, in the spirit of an interpretive leader, accompany them as fellow travelers.
In other words, cut through all the academic talk and philosophizing and it boils down to this: engage in community. Be a friend. Leadership, God’s Agency, and Disruptions is not an easy text. It’s deep and daunting, but the journey is worth it.
By way of introduction, Branson and Roxburgh presents example of the church in disruption: Israel at the time of Jeremiah, the early church in the book of Acts, and the challenges in the Ephesian church. These disruptions were challenges and opportunities to a new way of worship, service, and engaging in community. Disruption becomes a key element in growth.
From here, the authors return to “modernity’s wager” to sketch a brief history of what they term “Euro-tribal” churches and connect the rise of modernity and the West with the politicization of Christendom. This history shows how Christianity was misused for ethnocentric and nationalistic ends and miscontextualized to allow for heinous evils like slavery and colonization. These chapters set the context in which the Christian leader is placed: We are in a disruption of our own making. The Euro-tribal church is failing because its foundation is set in early modernity’s European reformations and colonizations. As such, there is a need to right the wrongs of Christianity’s past and move forward anew.
The third chapter, then, forges ahead with a discussion of what it means to be human, what it means to be a priest of God, and what it means to be made in his image. It’s a deep, nuanced, complex discussion that needs to be read several times over to grasp in any depth. More than just a book on leadership, Leadership, God’s Agency, and Disruptions is about a new kind of humanity—and thus a new kind of community of church.
The second part of the book is less philosophical and instead focusing on building a theology of leadership as developed through several different narratives. Any one of these chapters is well worth the cost of the book. Branson and Roxburgh dive into the context of Jeremiah, Jesus as seen through Matthew, Acts, and Ephesians to build their leadership theology. Along the way, they focus on elements that go well beyond the typical verses used in leadership texts, creating a robust and nuanced discussion of the role of the leader.
The third of the book moves back to the philosophical, focusing on the linguistic. The authors talk about several different metaphors used in leadership, what they mean, and why the stories those metaphors create are important. Of particular interest was their discussion on “the clergy industry,” which detailed how a complex system of denominations, church networks, seminary training schools, conferences, money-sourcing foundations (underwriting the clergy profession), and congregations—all of whom assume there is a central “product” needed to serve the church, which is generally understood to be the “pastor” or “clergy” whose role is to “minister” to people in a variety of ways. Leadership, God’s Agency, and Disruptions challenges this by saying that Scripture sees the formation of communities, not just leaders—because every believer is to be a priest and leader within the church.
In the end, what Branson and Roxburgh call us to is a new way of doing church and I just want to close with their words:
Making a path as we walk means we don’t need to tell people where they need to be. Rather than vision-casting, the walk begins with the stories of the people with whom we dwell. Start by seeking out those in a congregation who sense the old roads aren’t repairable and, in the spirit of an interpretive leader, accompany them as fellow travelers.
In other words, cut through all the academic talk and philosophizing and it boils down to this: engage in community. Be a friend. Leadership, God’s Agency, and Disruptions is not an easy text. It’s deep and daunting, but the journey is worth it.
August 30, 2021
Summary: Argues that “modernity’s wager” has shaped the leadership practices of church leadership, leading to a reliance on technique-driven strategies rather than responding to God’s agency.
Churches in the West are facing powerful forces of disruption, ranging from the pandemic to abuse scandals to disenchantment with political alignments. Many churches are witnessing declining numbers and financial support. We are in an age of the rise of the “Nones.” Suddenly the vision processes and church growth strategies are being turned on their heads.
Mark Lau Branson and Alan Roxburgh propose that what we are seeing is the failure of “Modernity’s Wager,” the bet that we can live well, and even build churches without God. Sure, we don’t say this, but often we believe we are working for God or even without God rather than trusting in and responding to the initiatives of God. They contend that this secular outlook has had a corrosive influence on church leadership.
They advocate for a different kind of leadership premised on God’s agency–indeed that the very disruptions we face may be invitations to step into and join what God is doing. Leadership is standing in the “space between” where we do not control but discern the ways of the Spirit of God.
They consider four biblical sources as case studies in this “space between” leadership in disruption. Jeremiah considers the disruption of exile and the focus on the local rather than the wished for return.. Matthew, writing to a Syrian community after the fall of the temple, sets forward action-learning communities with the teaching of Jesus. Acts models improvisational leadership. Ephesians confronts the disruption of Artemis worship and to live under kingdom authority amid empire.
This kind of leadership is the kind of making the path as one walks. It means finding and enlisting partners to work with, perhaps with limit scope experiments in one’s neighborhood. Such leaders start with where and who people are.
This is a book on leadership perspective rather than methods. In fact, it is an indictment of methods divorced from reliance upon the agency of God in our situations. So the book does not offer a program so much as a paradigm shift for leaders. Readers might feel this work is long on theory and short on practice. That is because the authors are seeking to shift the “social imaginary” that shapes contemporary church leadership. They want to encourage new habits and practices and a different way of conceiving of leadership.
This feels like the message Eugene Peterson tried to convey through his books. What Branson and Roxburgh are trying to do is call people back to the real work of pastors. The question is whether our church leaders are willing to give up on modernity’s wager for God’s agency. Or more simply, they are pressing us with the question, “do we really believe in God?”
________________________________
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the publisher. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
Churches in the West are facing powerful forces of disruption, ranging from the pandemic to abuse scandals to disenchantment with political alignments. Many churches are witnessing declining numbers and financial support. We are in an age of the rise of the “Nones.” Suddenly the vision processes and church growth strategies are being turned on their heads.
Mark Lau Branson and Alan Roxburgh propose that what we are seeing is the failure of “Modernity’s Wager,” the bet that we can live well, and even build churches without God. Sure, we don’t say this, but often we believe we are working for God or even without God rather than trusting in and responding to the initiatives of God. They contend that this secular outlook has had a corrosive influence on church leadership.
They advocate for a different kind of leadership premised on God’s agency–indeed that the very disruptions we face may be invitations to step into and join what God is doing. Leadership is standing in the “space between” where we do not control but discern the ways of the Spirit of God.
They consider four biblical sources as case studies in this “space between” leadership in disruption. Jeremiah considers the disruption of exile and the focus on the local rather than the wished for return.. Matthew, writing to a Syrian community after the fall of the temple, sets forward action-learning communities with the teaching of Jesus. Acts models improvisational leadership. Ephesians confronts the disruption of Artemis worship and to live under kingdom authority amid empire.
This kind of leadership is the kind of making the path as one walks. It means finding and enlisting partners to work with, perhaps with limit scope experiments in one’s neighborhood. Such leaders start with where and who people are.
This is a book on leadership perspective rather than methods. In fact, it is an indictment of methods divorced from reliance upon the agency of God in our situations. So the book does not offer a program so much as a paradigm shift for leaders. Readers might feel this work is long on theory and short on practice. That is because the authors are seeking to shift the “social imaginary” that shapes contemporary church leadership. They want to encourage new habits and practices and a different way of conceiving of leadership.
This feels like the message Eugene Peterson tried to convey through his books. What Branson and Roxburgh are trying to do is call people back to the real work of pastors. The question is whether our church leaders are willing to give up on modernity’s wager for God’s agency. Or more simply, they are pressing us with the question, “do we really believe in God?”
________________________________
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the publisher. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
January 13, 2022
This book kind of blew me away and immediately vaulted to the top of my list of favorite books on "leadership," and particularly "ministry leadership." The reader should know that it's a bit heavy on the academic side of things - especially when compared to most books in the "leadership" category - but if you're willing to do some thinky-reading through philosophy and cultural theory, then this book will reward you in spades.
There is so much I loved here, but in general, it's a superb example of an interdisciplinary piece of writing. The biblical studies and exegesis portions are extremely good, the work in cultural theory is deeply researched and clearly written, and the analysis and practical applications for leaders today are super helpful. It's all solid gold.
Perhaps what I appreciated most about this book, though, was the central commitment to understanding leadership's captivity to some deep philosophical commitments given to us by modernity. This frames and grounds the entirety of the discussion in a way the separates this book from others, but it isn't merely a work of cultural criticism (though it succeeds on that front remarkably) as the authors demonstrate a thoughtful commitment to the biblical texts they interpret. I particularly adored the material in here that looks at the prophetic work of Jeremiah as "interpretive leadership."
All told, this is simply an outstanding book, and one that I will be going back to over and over again in my career. I cannot recommend it highly enough.
There is so much I loved here, but in general, it's a superb example of an interdisciplinary piece of writing. The biblical studies and exegesis portions are extremely good, the work in cultural theory is deeply researched and clearly written, and the analysis and practical applications for leaders today are super helpful. It's all solid gold.
Perhaps what I appreciated most about this book, though, was the central commitment to understanding leadership's captivity to some deep philosophical commitments given to us by modernity. This frames and grounds the entirety of the discussion in a way the separates this book from others, but it isn't merely a work of cultural criticism (though it succeeds on that front remarkably) as the authors demonstrate a thoughtful commitment to the biblical texts they interpret. I particularly adored the material in here that looks at the prophetic work of Jeremiah as "interpretive leadership."
All told, this is simply an outstanding book, and one that I will be going back to over and over again in my career. I cannot recommend it highly enough.
October 16, 2021
This is a wonderful book - perfect for the moment... and will be as useful in years to come.
For too long the church has stated that they live in the power of the Holy Spirit, and yet have done things in their own strength. The Covid Pandemic has disrupted our current rut, and has illuminated weaknesses in the church and has accelerated the changes that were already occurring. The book looks biblically at other disruptions and how God used these disruptions to alert His people to where they were off base.
It is time that we took seriously that we believe that God is at work in the world and we learned how to join with Him on mission. This book, although a difficult and academic read, is a huge help towards that end.
For too long the church has stated that they live in the power of the Holy Spirit, and yet have done things in their own strength. The Covid Pandemic has disrupted our current rut, and has illuminated weaknesses in the church and has accelerated the changes that were already occurring. The book looks biblically at other disruptions and how God used these disruptions to alert His people to where they were off base.
It is time that we took seriously that we believe that God is at work in the world and we learned how to join with Him on mission. This book, although a difficult and academic read, is a huge help towards that end.
September 5, 2024
Difficult read and very deep. Interesting. Challenging. The challenge of this book is not for those who have creatively and cognitively retired. Almost impossible to comprehend for those who are ecclesiastically entrenched to consider God may be working in places and spheres they are unwilling to go. If you are egotistical enough to believe you've arrived (in your ministry, in your church, in your particular tribe), you need not read this one. But if you think possibly God may be working in the world in ways you may never have considered, you're invited to start turning pages.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews