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33 of 36 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Biblical View of Biblical Leadership, March 29, 2005
This review is from: The Book on Leadership (Hardcover)
Too often I have found that leadership books given to pastors and church leaders are focused on business ethics, business techniques, and other worldly methods. While these methods may not be right or wrong, these books fail to take an honest look at leadership from the Bible. We are not take the Bible plus the world's leadership values and reinforce them upon the Church but we are to be biblical and that is it (Titus 2:1). That is why I enjoyed Dr. John MacArthur's THE BOOK ON LEADERSHIP. As a teacher of the Word who loves the Word, Dr. MacArthur faithfully seeks to teach what the Scriptures teach about leadership. His concern is not the latest how-to books or the latest Church Growth gimmicks but his heart is to follow the Bible completely in all areas of church leadership. Each chapter covers a portion of what the Bible teaches about leadership. Whether you are a leader in the church or you have biblical questions about leadership, I urge you to turn to this book. While I didn't agree with MacArthur all the time, he does seek to build a biblical case. The only drawback to this book is that it didn't focus on leaders being people of prayer. I agree with MacArthur 100% that we need strong theology, strong preaching and teaching, and Christ-like leaders but one of the traits of being like Jesus is prayer (Luke 11:1; 18:1). We need men of God who's knees are worn out and their eyes are red from the tears they have wept over the condition of the modern Church. We need preachers who will stand in the pulpit and deliver and word from God that they received while on their face in worship before a holy God. We need men of prayer (1 Timothy 2:1-6, 8).
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23 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Impressive., December 24, 2004
This review is from: The Book on Leadership (Hardcover)
First, the outside cover of this book is extremely impressive. It LOOKS like leather. I had to touch it to make sure that it was not. The edging at the top and bottom of each page is normal, smooth and even. However, the outside edge of each page has an old journal look, uneven or torn. The combined effect draws the eye to the book. Second, the contents include: Earning Trust Taking the Initiative Taking Courage Taking Charge A Leader's Devotion to His People Paul Defends His Sincerity "Who Is Sufficient for These Things?" A Leader Made of Clay The Leader's Warfare How Not to Be Disqualified Who Is Fit to Lead? The Measure of a Leader's Success About the Author Appendix - Twenty-six Characteristics of a True Leader Notes ***** Third, I found the information very helpful. The author uses the apostle Paul to show how leaders today work, as well as, how they should work. Sections of the Bible are quoted throughout the entire book which makes it a pretty decent study guide as well. Very interesting reading! ***** Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.
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13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Godly Principles of Leadership, January 6, 2005
This review is from: The Book on Leadership (Hardcover)
John MacArthur's latest book, unimaginatively titled The Book on Leadership, has one of the finest-looking covers I have ever seen. With its leather-looking cover, rough-cut pages, gold lettering and marbled inside pages, it looks like a wonderful, valuable, antique book. Truth be told, I probably would not have purchased it were it not for that cover. I am not so shallow that I would purchase it based soley on the cover, but a great cover and an author I respect are too much for me to pass up. In this book, MacArthur provides his spin on a topic that is gaining prominence in the church. I suspect the books published on the subject of leadership in the church in the past five years would by far outnumber thoese published in the prior 2000 years of Christianity. Leadership has become a buzz-word, and leadership skills are more highly-valued by many than the ability to write good sermons, to relate to people or to express clear doctrine. For many people today a pastor's role should primarily concern leadership with the preaching of the Word taking on a secondary role. In this context I looked forward to gleaning from the wisdom of John MacArthur. This book is based around the apostle Paul (rather than Nehemiah, who seems to be the subject of many leadership manuals), drawing lessons about leadership through two of the situations he faced: his time in prison and his time pastoring the church at Corinth. I was surprised to find that the leadership principles outlined by the author are not expositorily drawn out of the Scripture, for expository teaching is what we have come to expect from MacArthur. Instead, he uses Paul's life to point to principles of leadership. For example, the sixth principle of leadership is that a leader is optimistic and enthusiastic. MacArthur shows this in Paul's life by referencing Acts 27:25 where the apostle tells the men aboard his doomed ship to "take heart ... for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told." There are twenty six of these principles introduced in similar fashion throughout the text. While the book does a respectable job of introducing principles of leadership, I found its primary value in serving as a commentary on portions of the books of Acts and Corinthians. MacArthur is a skilled expositor and does deep research in the Scriptures. Thus he brings to light many situations and tidbits of information that helped me better understand these passages of the Bible and to understand Paul. Reading the book purely as a commentary will be rewarding in itself, with the principles of leadership serving as icing on the cake. I have to admit I found this book a little disappointing, primarily because it was not entirely expository in nature. The twenty six principles of leadership are sound and will no doubt serve to strengthen many future and current leaders. In the final analysis, though, while they are proven from the life of Paul, they were not drawn explicitly from Scripture. Despite that, a man who exhibited those qualities would no doubt be an godly man and one well-suited and eminently qualfied for leadership in the church. I do recommend this book both as a commentary on parts of the life of Paul and as a guide to important qualities necessary for godly leadership.
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