Customer Reviews

Basic Christian Leadership: Biblical Models of Church, Gospel and Ministry

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John Stott wrote this book in 1973 to provide biblical models of church, leadership and ministry. In 2005 Time magazine identified Stott as one of the "100 Most Influential People in the World."

The author spends the entire book looking at the first four chapters of First Corinthians. Stott identifies this section as the primary location for Christians to discover and model proper Christian leadership. In First Corinthians Paul is addressing the complex situations surrounding the Corinthians. He does so with great clarity, wisdom, humility, love and gentleness - leadership qualities that are woefully absent in Christian leaders today.

Leadership is a word shared by Christians and non-Christians alike, but with a different definition. A leader, according to its simplest definition, is someone who commands a following. To lead is to go ahead, to show the way and to inspire other people to follow. Paul, not possessing textbook leadership qualities by today's secular standards, informs us that a leader is merely the greatest servant.

In nearly all cultures a servant is perceived as week, unwise, and unfit to lead. Christ exemplifies the servant leader. Even detractors of Christ would describe His form of servant leadership as wise, humble, loving and gentle.

Stott does a wonderful job moving through the first four chapters of First Corinthians by analyzing and expanding upon each verse. He helps the reader clearly see God's plan for Christian leaders. In each section Stott isolates, explains and provides application to today's Church. This is a wonderful book for personal reading, leadership training or group study.

Stott here does his usual exemplary job with the Scriptures he intends to unfold for us. His work is well-written, but has much more to do with Biblical models of church, gospel and ministry. There is very little real leadership content offered here. Perhaps the publisher altered the title a bit to make it more appealing in the Christian marketplace.

The bottom line is that if you want Stott's opinions on church leadership, keep looking. This title isn't it.