In the Name of Jesus: Reflections on Christian Leadership [Paperback]

Henri J. M. Nouwen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1992

Henri Nouwen was a spiritual thinker with an unusual capacity to write about the life of Jesus and the love of God in ways that have inspired countless people to trust life more fully. Most widely read among the over 40 books Father Nouwen wrote is In the Name of Jesus. For a society that measures successful leadership in terms of the effectiveness of the individual, Father Nouwen offers a counter definition that is witnessed by a "communal and mutual experience." For Nouwen, leadership cannot function apart from the community. His wisdom is grounded in the foundation that we are a people "called." This beautiful guide to Christian Leadership is the rich fruit of Henri Nouwen's own journey as one of the most influential spirtiual leaders of the 20th century.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

A national bestseller for over a decade, now with study guide! In the Name of Jesus is Henri Nouwen's bold, honest, and heartwarming message about Christian leadership.

About the Author

HENRI J.M. NOUWEN is one of the most prolific and popular spiritual writers of our time. He wrote more than 40 books and taught at Notre Dame, as well as at Yale and Harvard. For the 10 years before his death in 1996, he was part of the L Arche Daybreak community in Toronto, sharing life with people with developmental disabilities. --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 81 pages
• Publisher: The Crossroad Publishing Company (October 1, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0824512596
• ISBN-13: 978-0824512590
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 5.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (51 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,236 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #3 in Books > Christian Books & Bibles > Ministry & Church Leadership > Ministry

More About the Author

Henri Nouwen was born in Holland in 1932 and ordained a Catholic priest in 1957. He obtained his doctorandus in psychology from Nijmegen University in the Netherlands and taught at Notre Dame, Yale, and Harvard. He experienced the monastic life with Trappist monks at the Abbey of the Genesee, lived among the poor in Latin America with the Maryknoll missioners, and was interested and active in numerous causes related to social justice. After a lifetime of seeking, Henri Nouwen finally found his home in Canada, as pastor of L'Arche Daybreak - where people with intellectual disabilities and their caregivers live together in community.

Henri Nouwen wrote over 40 books on spirituality and the spiritual life that have sold millions of copies and been translated into dozens of languages. His vision of spirituality was broad and inclusive, and his compassion embraced all of humankind.

He died in 1996. His work and his spirit live on.

Henri Nouwen pronounced his name "Henry Now-en." For more information on his life and work, please visit www.henrinouwen.org .

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

66 of 68 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 81 Pages and 81 Years Worth of Wisdom, October 9, 2001

By 

Eric Wilson "novelist" (Nashville, TN United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: In the Name of Jesus: Reflections on Christian Leadership (Paperback)

Nouwen packs so much wisdom into so little space. These aren't cerebral facts, these are life-altering, heart-changing ideas. These are words to fuel a revolution.

Essentially, in his simple and loving manner, Nouwen tells us that we've got it all wrong and that we need to get back to the basics. "Much Christian leadership is exercised by people who do not know how to develop healthy, intimate relationships and have opted for power and control instead." This quote by Nouwen not only hits the nail on the head, it pinpoints the problem of serving God in an official capacity. Many have insulated themselves from relationships, often under the impression that they must show only their good side as a minister of the gospel; thus they wrestle alone with the sins of the flesh.

This short book attempts to refocus leaders' eyes on the basics...and the basics, as viewed here in poignant and startling clarity, take a lifetime to learn. Nouwen manages to make this all seem not only possible, but desirable. Not only helpful, but necessary. Each time my mind began to get in the way, his words brought me back to the responses of the heart.

To start and finish this book, Nouwen tells us about his mentally-handicapped friend Bill. By tucking his message between the very real love and efforts of his own life, Nouwen punctuates his words and shows us that they can, indeed, impact our own lives.

Even if it takes me 81 years to get it all figured out.

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the top 5 books on ministry of all time., January 12, 2000

By 

Kent A. Sanders (St. Peters, MO USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: In the Name of Jesus: Reflections on Christian Leadership (Paperback)

I read this little book several years ago as part of a college class during the last semester before I graduated and entered full-time ministry. I enjoyed it then, but it was not until recently, when I picked it up again, that I was so incredibly moved by this author who seemed to understand so much about leadership than most of the big-name authors on leadership. "In the Name of Jesus" has had a major impact upon the way I view ministry. It is only 80 pages long and can easily be read in one sitting--you will do yourself a huge favor if you read and apply it. I name it among the top 5 books on ministry ever published.

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent resource for Christian Leadership, August 26, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: In the Name of Jesus: Reflections on Christian Leadership (Paperback)

Using the three temptations of Christ, Henri does a superb job of bringing the three temptations to everyday life. He answers important questions of today by addressing one central idea, identity. The strength of this book is in the three identity issues, "I am what I do" "I am what others say about me" and "I am what I control."

Nouwen does a great job of shutting down cultural messages to focus upon one point, our identity in Christ.

A must read for anyone in Christian Leadership, especially those who teach others and desire to become relevant leaders for today. Even though this book is not the most theologically sound, the central idea is how to combat the cultural messages of America to become powerful, spectacular and relevant.