Customer Reviews

The Maxwell Leadership Bible Developing Leaders From The Word Of God

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Maxwell's stated purpose for a leadership Bible is that everyone is a leader, and that effective leaders must first be able to lead themselves.

The first interesting note on the book is his choice of the New King James Version, rather than the more common New International Version, but the translation flows quite nicely, so it does not present a problem.

In the book, Maxwell takes insights from the 21 Irrefutable Laws and the 21 Indispensable Qualities to highlight the Biblical passages. For example, he takes Biblical figures and discusses how they embodied a particular law or quality, sometimes more than one. Also worthy of note is that he uses both positive and negative examples of leadership: in Matthew chapter 2, he uses Herod to illustrate the "indispensable quality" of security, and the "irrefutable law" of empowerment. Maxwell asserts that Herod was not secure in his leadership, because he viewed Jesus as a threat, and tried to have him killed. In terms of empowerment, Maxwell offers Herod's abuse of power, as opposed to attempting to share it. A nice feature of this is that Maxwell provides chapter and verse references for each of his insights, and the profiles and notes are placed logically with the accounts to which they correlate. In short, the book amounts to a study Bible on leadership.

Some other features of note:
-A two page spread at the end of the Gospels explaining how Jesus embodied each of the 21 irrefutable laws

-Half page "profiles in leadership" on everyone from the seventy elders in Numbers to well known names like Abraham, Peter, and John

-Full and two-page elaborations on a particular law of leadership or a particular quality as embodied by a Biblical leader

-Summaries at the beginning of each book which not only give the plot line of the account in the book, but also speak to the leadership components therein by listing leaders in the book, other people of influence, lessons in leadership, and leadership highlights with chapter, verse, and page references

-Other insights such as "women who made a difference" in which he lists 25+ women who exhibited difference-making leadership, referenced by book, chapter, and verse, or "Zechariah learns motivation comes before mobilization"

-An index of each leadership law, followed by several examples and where to find them in the Bible (main example of each in boldface type)

-An index of each leadership quality, followed by several examples and where to find them in the Bible (positive and negative examples labeled and in boldface type)

-An index of leadership issues, including calling, adaptability, delegation, etc.

-An index of profiles in leadership

Overall, this is a well-indexed and thorough study Bible on the topic of leadership, and I recommend it highly to anyone who is interested in the integration of faith and leadership, or wants to learn more about the origins of leadership.

Maxwell does a very good job bringing out the leadership lessons from the Bible. The Bible is full of leadership notes on almost every page. Maxwell's 21 laws and qualities are listed in the back in a concordance type format. I like the color scheme inside also. The layout makes reading easy. This is the Bible I use daily. However, I also offer a few notes of caution.

This is not a "Study Bible". If you are looking for a Bible with commentary notes then this one is NOT for you. It is designed for leaders. If you are not a leader personality then you will probably not like this work.

There is no concordance and cross references are limited to the Old Testament quotes in the New Testament. However, it does contain alternate readings and notes from differing Greek texts. (Syriac, and Vulgate too)

The verse numberings are hard to find in the text and probably should have been bolded for clarity. (The poetic passages are the exception here)

Overall, I really like this Bible. Then again, I am a military and Christian leader so it is geared for me.

Dr. John Maxwell's "Leadership Bible" represents an inspiring and instructive Bible/Guide to be used to train and inculcate pastors, elders, and laypersons in the art of biblical leadership, just as the title suggests.

Using parallels as illustration between historic biblical and contemporary events, Dr. Maxwell shows in lucid detail how the maxims and laws of human nature subject to proper leadership are necessary to the will of G_d and are actually endorsed by Him.

For example, "Lessons in Leadership (from the Book of Luke)":

1. Healthy leaders have nothing to prove, nothing to lose, and nothing to hide.
2. Wise leaders speak the truth, whatever the cost.
3. Effective leaders provide incentives to their followers.
4. Successful leaders discern, then develop, then delegate.
5. Great leaders feel secure enought to express emotions and be vulnerable.
6. The best leaders love the world, serve the many, but train the few.
7. Good leaders practice repetition until others embrace the vision.
8. The most powerful force in a leader's life is love for people.

A gem. Well done! Five stars.

I'm not sure what I was expecting, but this work exceeded all my expectations on what a Bible with such a title should look like!

Maxwell is known as the peerless master of teaching leadership qualities. His secular works are required reading, and nothing comes close in excellence. How does he introduce such qualities into a Bible, though? Wonderfully!

Maxwell takes every possible aspect of leaderhip (dozens and dozens) and ties them into Biblical characters and situations. There is enough teaching and study material here to occupy one's time for years, and none is fluff.

This is more of a textbook than a Bible, but I guarantee--there is nothing else like it! Unlike so many other attempts which end up balancing a secular principle on a thread of Scripture, Maxwell really searches the Scripture, and the applications he gleans are relevant!

If you ever hope to teach or learn virtually every leadership quality, tenet, or principle found in the Bible--your search is over. Maxwell has found them all!

Also recommended: 'With Joseph in the University of Adversity' ('The Qualities of an Effective Leader' chapter), and 'The Mizraim Prinicples', authored by Dr. Jerry L. Parks

In my humble opinion, The Maxwell Leadership Bible is better than any of the books, simply because Maxwell takes the core concepts from his various books and shows how they are applied in the Bible.

For example, Maxwell includes:

1. Excerpts from the 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership and 21 Indispensible Qualities of a Leader books.
2. Over 100 biographical profiles from people in the Bible.
3. A brief introduction to each book of the Bible and how leadership principles were applied.

4. Short articles and "Read As You Go" notes as you progress through the Bible.
5. Topical index of various leadership materials.

The reader has to bear in mind that this not necessarily a study Bible but a Bible whose focus is leadership. With the failures the world has recently seen in the ministry, politics, and business, Maxwell's Leadership Bible is welcomed read for those who are looking for a biblical basis for how to/how not to lead.

Maxwell's premise is that leaders are to serve others (just like Jesus) and not lord it over them (like worldly "leadership" so often does.). Quite frankly, I find much inspiration from the Scriptures to lead properly and not cut corners when the pressure is turned up.

All in all, a highly recommended read for the Christian who wants to learn (and get encouragement) on how to lead from a biblical basis. The non-Christian can also benefit from the book by considering how the biblical type of leadership so often contrasts with worldly leadership. Everyone will benefit by considering how his/her leadership qualities compare with the Bible.

Read and be encouraged!

I've heard John Maxwell speak at Promise Keepers. This was back when he was still a church pastor. Even then, he was quite a comminucator. He good deliver an excellent message and get his ideas across to anyone listening. He was and still a powerful teacher and speaker.

I haven't read any of his books on leadership. So I don't know how much of his leadership Bible compares to any of them. But I read this Bible cover-tocover during my daily devotional time in 2002. Prior to reading this Bible, I never viewed the Bible as a leadership book overall.

What John Maxwell does is take the Bible and views it from the vantage point of leaders and leadership. He explains the Bible books, characters, and stories and shows how leaders can use it to learn what to do and what not to do. If you're a pastor (as I am) or involved in any other type of leadership, you won't see leadership the same way again after reading and using this Bible. To every thing that's in the Bible, you'll see it in whole new light. And if you're like me, you'll see yourself differently in terms of being a Christian leader. You'll also see those that you're leading differently, too.

As another reader stated, this is not a good Bible for the average layman that isn't called to leadership. But if you're in leadership, this book is a must have. And if you know someone in leadership or is called to leadership and isn't there yet, this book would make an excellent gift.

Kudos to John Maxwell! Well done!

Maxwell succeeds in creating a new way to experience leadership principles and the bible. I have used this as a guide for my youth group's leadership program (highshcool juniors and seniors) and it has been perfect. This is an excellent gift idea for anyone who has interest in leadership and believes their christain faith is critical to their approach.

This Bible is very good It really helped me out and even as a young person I was able to understand what John MAxwell was saying and I think that this is the right way to get anyone started on leadership or those who are interested in taking their skills to the next level!

The Maxwell Study Bible is fantastic resource for those who are in leadership. John's insights are not only helpful, but very timely and well spaced. This is not a "Study Bible" for insights into Greek, Hebrew or a commentary through various passages on Christian living, per se. However, a brilliant study of leadership and it's principles as displayed through God's word. If you are a student of leadership, this is not only a must have - it is an essential piece on the subject. I applaud Dr. Maxwell for a work that is a breath of fresh air.

I couldn't put it down. I also look forward to a long life of studying God's word intertwined with the capsules of leadership previously presented by the awesome Dr. John C. Maxwell.

This book is full of helps, from the outline of leaders for each book of the bible preceding the scripture to the 21 Laws that he placed throughout the book.

For anyone learining to grow from the inside out, it is a must have. For anyone who thought they were not a leader or were not called to lead, it is a must have. For anyone with a pulse....you need this book.

John sheds light on leadership that I have not encountered before.