Humble Leadership: Being Radically Open to God's Guidance and Grace

by N. Graham Standish

There comes a point at which leaderhsip can break down precisely because of our success as leaders. When confidence turns to pride and arrogance, we lose sight of the people that we have been called to serve and become consumed with following our own vision. Graham Standish offers a way forward that moves us through this paradox by seeking to humbly follow God's plans rather than our own. Humble leadership, grounded in the teachings of Jesus, means recognizing that what we have and who we are is a gift from God, and our lives should reflect our gratitude for this gift. It requires us to be radically and creatively open to God's guidance, grace, and presence in everything. When we lead out of such openness, God's power and grace flow through us. The path Standish proposes is not easy. Humble leadership can be personally dangerous, exposing our weakness, powerlessness, fear, and anxiety. Our cultural need for strength infects Christian leaders with a pride that causes them to ignore biblical teachings on humility. But a humble leader says to God, "I'm yours, no matter where you call me to go, what you call me to do, and how you call me to be. I will seek your will and way as I lead others to do the same."

Genres: Leadership

200 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

The Rev. N. Graham Standish, Ph.D. (Formative Spirituality, Duquesne University; M.S.W., University of Pittsburgh; M.Div., Pittsburgh Theological Seminary), is Executive Director of Samaritan Counseling•Guidance•Consulting in Sewickley, Pennsylvania. Previously he served as senior pastor of Calvin Presbyterian Church in Zelienople, PA; and was adjunct professor at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary Doctor of Ministry program, as well as at Tyndale Theological Seminary in Toronto, Ontario.

Reviews

[Hansen Wendlandt · Rating 3 out of 5]

The point of the book: get your own issues out of the way and let the Spirit lead the church. Absolutely, a good reminder for congregational leaders. There are times when that message is expressed deeply, clearly. There are other times when the message sounds more, 'be like Graham'--which isn't a bad thing, but just not as useful for you and I. There is a current of simple self-help, like the obnoxious graph on p 19; but there is also direct, helpful information about personality conditions and how to infuse the spirit into church leadership logistically.

[George Love · Rating 4 out of 5]

Latest treadmill read. Not as wonderful as Standish's "The Blessed Church", but still both good and enjoyable. Standish is at his best talking about the need to align what we say about God (God is near) with the way we act (if God is near we should be looking for God in events around us at all time). The primary lesson on humility, presented with a lot of nuance and insight, has to do with prayer and seeking to follow God's lead by creating leadership groups that seriously look beyond themselves to God's Spirit.