Growing Leaders: Reflections on leadership, life and Jesus

by James Lawrence

Seven out of ten Christian leaders feel overworked, four in ten suffer financial pressures, only two in ten have had management training and 1,500 give up their job over a ten-year period. At the same time, as financial restrictions affect the availability of full-time ministers, more people are needed for leadership roles in local congregations, for every area of church work. This book faces the challenge of raising up new leaders and helping existing leaders to mature, using the model for growing leaders at the heart of the Arrow Leadership Programme, a ministry of the Church Pastoral Aid Society (CPAS). It comprehensively surveys leadership skills and styles, discerning our personal calling, avoiding the 'red zone' of stress, developing character, and living as part of the community of God's people. The book contains twelve chapters, in six sections, plus a resources Part 1: Leadership today, Part 2: Growing leaders know they're chosen, Part 3: Growing leaders discern God's call, Part 4: Growing leaders develop Christ-like character, Part 5: Growing leaders cultivate competence, Part 6: Growing leaders lead in community. First published in 2004.

Genres: Leadership, Christian

Paperback

First published April 23, 2004

Reviews

[Vincent Whiting · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read and discussed for the last year with my ministry mentor. Super appreciative of this book.
Sections of it were not relevant to me as an apprentice, but could certainly be a useful tool once I step into leader roles, especially around ministry teams.
There were other slightly outdated parts, which is to be expected.
I think a must read for those stepping into ministry leadership!

[Mike Riddell · Rating 4 out of 5]

In his book, Growing Leaders: Reflections on Leadership, Life and Jesus, James Lawrence presents his concern regarding leadership in the church in the current cultural moment of the Twenty-First Century whilst also offering a practical model for leadership development in this context. Reflecting upon his own experiences in pastoral, itinerant and not-for-profit ministerial settings, Lawrence’s approach to leadership development is motivated by a conviction to not only grow more leaders, but also for leaders to be in a continuing state of growth themselves. Basing much of his content upon the leadership model of Jesus, Lawrence’s stated aim for this book is to empower readers to “be led more by Jesus, to lead more like Jesus, and to lead more to Jesus.”

In reviewing this resource, understanding the background of the author is helpful in reconciling some of the implicit and explicit assumptions, terms and anecdotes contained within. Currently serving as the Leadership Principal at the Church Pastoral Aid Society (CPAS) and Director of the Arrow Leadership Programme in the United Kingdom, Lawrence is also an ordained Anglican minister. As such, the context from which the author anecdotally, euphemistically and metaphorically presents, is inherently British and steeped in the Anglican tradition. There are a few times where abbreviations and common-day examples do not easily bridge the cultural divide, even with another nation of the Commonwealth such as Australia. Furthermore, much of the leadership challenges which are analogously used to describe a church setting, are done so under the model of the Anglican/Church of England tradition. This doesn’t preclude the principles of this book from being applied in the contexts of other Christian Faith traditions. However, it does necessitate some cultural exegesis when connecting identifiable similarities between the church governance and leadership structures of the Anglican church and those of other Christian denominational bodies.
Lawrence predominantly steers clear of certain theological positions relating to leadership which could exclude others based upon their gender, qualifications or cultural background. The effect of this is that the leadership model presented is applicable, achievable and relevant to leaders who find themselves in different denominational, socio-economic and cultural settings.

All this being considered, the book is written for leaders of every age, stage and experience in mind. There is however a definite underlying sense that the content of this book, based on the model of leadership development in the ‘Arrow Leadership Program’, has particular focus and direction for those in the 25-40 year-old demographic. This is the particular foci of the aforementioned program.

What is striking in this book, is the detail and emphasis that is placed on the individual leader’s own personal and internal sense of perspective, identity and practice pertaining to ‘Christian Leadership’. In this book, which is divided into six parts, two thirds of the content emphasise the value and importance of the ‘internal’ practices of a leader (encompassing spiritual, emotional, physical and relational health) and their own development in areas of character and competency. It is only in the last two sections of the book where the focus is shifted from internal to external functions of a leader (discerning and articulating vision, developing people, leading in the context of community). This internal/external ratio of content belies Lawrence’s belief that character trumps competence, and that growing leaders lead out of who they are, it is not simply a function or role that they do.
This is where the content was particularly poignant for myself. As a task-focused individual, it was refreshing for my thoughts to be held primarily on who I am as an individual; created first and foremost to abide in Christ. The detail and personal examples of rhythms and habits which foster and cultivate a holistic view of a growing leader was not only timely for myself, but is also timeless in its relevance and importance for all.

None of what Lawrence presents is necessarily ‘new’ information or concepts. This is illustrated by the prevalence of references to other sources and leaders including Bill Hybels, Henri Nouwen, Rick Warren, Walter Wright and John Ortberg. However, the manner in which this litany of sources is incorporated into a well-balanced and holistic approach to the personal formation of a leader proved to be helpful and applicable and clearly comes from the personal experience and skills of the author.

Whilst there were no specific points of dissonance in the content presented in this book, I would have valued a more detailed approach to the concept of mentoring. It left me with a sense of aspiration to have this practice in my life (both as a mentor and being mentored), however there was also a little uncertainty over some of the more specific details of mentoring is best initiated and run. This is in contrast to the detail included in the earlier chapters around implementing daily rhythms alongside the practical example of prioritising the ‘big rocks’ in a leader’s life. This is where I believe the book could have been extended another fifty or so pages in order for this detail to be included.

In surmising this book’s suitability for recommendation, I would say this is an excellent book for leaders operating in a specifically Christian context (church and/or Christian organisation). I would encourage leaders, especially those in the 25-40 year-old demographic, to carefully consider how this model of leadership (beginning with the qualities and characteristics of the growing leader, before panning out to specific practices involving leading others) can best be applied in their lives and their specific context. Lawrence’s particular focus on the fact that a growing leader, grows and develops other leaders, presents an approach that encourages healthy and sustainable leadership development, for the church, for many years to come.

[B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very practical and helpful book on Christian leadership.

[Tobias Groen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nuanceret, letlæselig, bibelsk, balanceret mellem karakter og kompetencer. En must Read for enhver kristen leder

[Nathan Pullman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid book, great studies have gone into it, but man did it feel like a slog to get through.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book for a training I’ll be part of. There were a number of good bits and I especially liked the end chapter that talked about the importance of leading in a group rather than alone. He also heavily emphasized humility rather than empire-building as a leader, and there are a lot of thought-provoking reflection questions.

There were a few parts of the book that were a bit generic and not as interesting, but one of my biggest quibbles was one part where he spent a significant amount of space talking about what to do in a crisis. That sounds fine, except the crisis was a fellow male leader accused of sexually inappropriate or abusive behavior. He treated the *accusation* as the crisis, for the man, and never once considered whether it could be true and that the actual crisis might be for the woman involved. It’s far less likely for a woman to make a false accusation than it is for her to make a truthful one and not be believed. That part of the book made me feel ill. One star for that chapter.

[Allen Jr. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A broad-ranging book that explores a great many facets of Christian leadership--everything from personal character to team dynamics. I especially appreciated Lawrence's thoughts on community, leading in relationship and engaging in team.

The book is written from Lawrence's British/Anglican perspective, so I could imagine that some of his cultural references may get lost on North American readers, but not so much that it would severely lessen the impact and import of his message.

[Russell Tucker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Growing Leaders is a really valuable resource, packed full of practical suggestions and insights which I will certainly revisit, reflect upon and apply.

[James Bunyan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some helpful insights but fairly foggy all the way through.
Tim Hawkin's is better.

[Kingsley Layton · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really helpful and resourceful book. Not for the hard of thinking.

[Mrs C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good practical leadership lessons.