Heart, Mind, and Strength: Theory and Practice for Congregational Leadership [Paperback]

Jeffrey D. Jones (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 8, 2008

Leadership, observes Jeffrey Jones, is never about you. What happens to you as a leader stems from a vast array of issues and dynamics over which you have little or no control.
Leadership, Jones also insists, is always about you--Christ's disciple, part of the system, an individual with your own anxieties and a personal life that shapes both your personhood and your relationships.
Heart, Mind, and Strength is about dealing with the tension between these two realities. What we know is important. So is who we are--maybe even more so. Of course, admits Jones, no book can tell u s everything we need to know about leadership--the "what" of it. And certainly no book can shape our personhood--the "who" of leadership. Jones, however, shares both theoretical and practical insights that will inform the "what' and influence the "who" of your leadership in transformative ways. Jones organizes the book around the daily practices of leadership, treating it as both a skill and an art. Heart, Mind, and Strength will enhance your practice of ministry by providing well-grounded theory related to the practical concerns you encounter in the daily work of balancing what you know with who you are.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Jeffrey Jones has done us all an extraordinary service by preparing this impressive summary of the best research on both inspiring theories of leadership and congregational practices to utilize those superb ideas. This is a supremely beneficial book, grounded in years of experience. --Marva J. Dawn, author of Reaching Out without Dumbing Down, Keeping the Sabbath Wholly, and Unfettered Hope

Jeff Jones touches all the bases for effective congregational leadership. Drawing on significant contemporary writers on leadership, and reclaiming one almost forgotten early writer on Christian leadership, Jones offers a sound introduction to the new student of Christian leadership--and a refresher for veteran leaders. --Israel Galindo, Dean, Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond, VA, and author of The Hidden Lives of Congregations

For 35 years I've followed Jeff's generous work on this book. He has listened, studied, traveled, observed, taught, experimented, struggled, prayed, offered leadership, supported other leaders, written extensively, and devoted much time to thinking about leadership and churches. He has succeeded in teaching us in clear language how we can work with greater effectiveness and joy in both religious and secular organizations. I plan to study this book annually. --Henry J. Holcomb, journalist, labor union president, Baptist Deacon and Sunday School teacher

About the Author

Jeffrey D. Jones is the pastor of the First Baptist Church in Plymouth, Massachusetts. He also serves as Director of Distance Learning at Andover Newton Theological School, where he is Instructor in Church and Ministry, teaching courses in leadership and congregational life. He has served previously as a pastor in New Jersey and New York and as a national staff member of the American Baptist Churches, USA. He is the author of several books, including Traveling Together: A Guide for Disciple-Forming Congregations.

Product Details

• Paperback: 200 pages
• Publisher: The Alban Institute (December 8, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1566993806
• ISBN-13: 978-1566993807
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,551,247 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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