Spiritual Leadership (Commitment To Spiritual Growth) [Paperback]

J. Oswald Sanders (Author)

Book Description

Series: Commitment To Spiritual Growth | Publication Date: March 9, 1994

With over 500,000 in print, Spiritual Leadership is the perennial favorite for teaching the principles of leadership. In this classic, J. Oswald Sanders illustrates biblical leadership principles through the lives of David, Moses, Nehemiah, the Apostle Paul, David Livingston, and Charles Spurgeon.This world needs more leaders who are guided by God and devoted to Christ. Christianity needs to put forth a powerful voice to be heard above the cacophony of immorality and deception in much of today's leadership. Spiritual Leadership will encourage you to place your talents and powers at His disposal so you can become a leader used for His glory.This timeless classic will equip leaders of all generations to press on in service for Jesus Christ. Spiritual Leadership has easy-to-understand modern language and a study guide to assist each leader as they grow and successfully apply the principles in this book. Prepare to be stretched, challenged, and motivated to apply the leadership principles of character, passion, and especially godliness. Spiritual Leadership is a necessary tool for today's leaders.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Spiritual Leadership should be the constant companion of every undershepherd in the Savior's service. Most helpful is the fact that its emphasis is not on methods, but on character, passion, and godliness. I read it often to regrip the basic perspectives of my task, and have given it to the entire leadership team in our church." -- John MacArthur, Jr. Pastor-Teacher Grace Community Church --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

From the Back Cover

To aspire to leadership is an honorable ambition. (1 Timothy 3:1 NEB)The need for talented, vigorous leaders in the church today cannot be overemphasized. Such times demand the active service of men and women who are guided by God and devoted to Jesus Christ.With more than 750,000 copies in print, Spiritual Leadership stands as a proven classic for developing such leadership. In these pages, J. Oswald Sanders presents the key principles of leadership in both the temporal and spiritual realms, illustrating his points with examples from Scripture and the biographies of eminent men of God (Moses, Nehemiah, Paul, David Livingstone, Charles Spurgeon, and others). He writes that even natural leadership qualities are God-given, and their true effectiveness can only be reached when they are used to the glory of God. Featured topics include:¿ The cost of leadership¿ The responsibilities of leadership¿ Tests of leadership¿ The qualities and criteria of leadership¿ The art of reproducing leaders¿ The one indispensable requirement of leadershipNew to this updated edition are a "For Reflection" section and a growth-empowering study guide designed to enhance the usefulness of Spiritual Leadership as a training tool for future generations.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Moody Publishers; 2nd Revised edition (March 9, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802467997
• ISBN-13: 978-0802467997
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (76 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #300,865 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

47 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Book on Christian Leadership Ever Written, July 8, 2001

By 

Brian G Hedges (South Bend, Indiana) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Spiritual Leadership (Commitment To Spiritual Growth) (Paperback)

I make it a habit to read several books on leadership or ministry skills every year. This is the best one I have ever read on the former subject.

J. Oswald Sanders left us with a true spiritual classic on what it means to embody the Biblical qualities of true godliness. I found this to be a very FULL book, with incredible insights packed into short epigrammatic sentences which are pregnant with meaning. It demands to be re-read.

Spiritual issues are examined from several different angles as Sanders unfolds the Biblical criterion for leaders chapter by chapter. It seemed to me like the book gets better and better as it goes. The two chapters dealing with "Qualities Essential to Leadership" (discipline, vision, wisdom, decision, courage, humility, integrity/sincerity, humor, anger, patience, friendship, tact/diplomacy, inspirational power, executive ability, the therapy of listening, and the art of letter writing - quite an interesting list!) are worth their weight in gold.

Several chapters that immediately attacted my attention were "The Leader and His Praying," "The Leader and His Time," and "The Leader and His Reading" - all three instructive and inspiring. Other beneficial chapters deal with the fullness of the Spirit, the cost of leadership, delegation, tests of true leadership, replacement and reproduction of leaders, and perils of the leader (a powerful chapter with a dynamic little section called "Prophet or Leader?").

Get this book and devour it - especially those of you who are pastors, elders, teachers, and deacons. Any one involved in roles of spiritual leadership should read this book.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best leadership book I've read!!!, January 16, 2006

By 

M. Teresa Trascritti (Ohio) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Spiritual Leadership (Commitment To Spiritual Growth) (Paperback)

Godly leadership is more than being the most qualified to lead. Leaders in Christian ministry must understand and practice servanthood as taught by Jesus. Sanders compares the characteristics of "natural" leadership to spiritual leadership. In "natural" leadership, the emphasis is on power- specifically the ability to get subordinates to do things "they don't want to do" and forcing people to act (27). Spiritual leadership is "influencing others spiritually" (28). Spiritual leaders must not only possess leadership skills, but be ready and prepared to fight a spiritual battle (53). Sanders reminds readers that "God prepares leaders with a specific place and task in mind" (51). Even though many Christians are not called to a full-time ministry, all Christians are leaders since they influence people (109). Sanders insists on a leadership model in which leadership is "from the top down"-"never" from the "bottom up" (113). This philosophy is consistent with his other statement, "no cross, no leadership" (116). His description of spiritual leadership seems bleak by "natural" standards: a leader "lives with loneliness" (117), "fatigue is the price of leadership" (119), and "no leader lives a day without criticism" (119). Sanders' leadership model is very biblical in that it reflects the principle of leadership under God's guidance-" Be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid of them! The LORD your God will go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor forsake you" (Deu. 31:6 NLT). Leadership "from the top down" starts with God at the top. God is the Lord over creation, man, and the Sabbath and all is consecrated to Him. Ezekiel 37:23-24 explains, "They will truly be my people, and I will be their God. My servant David will be their king, and they will have only one shepherd. They will obey my regulations and keep my laws." In the same way, leaders should think of themselves as a vessel that is accountable to God.

48 of 57 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Flawed Brilliance, April 18, 2005

By 

Rev. Thomas Scarborough (Cape Town, South Africa) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Spiritual Leadership (Commitment To Spiritual Growth) (Paperback)

Over half a million copies of this book have been sold over the past thirty-seven years, and many ministers and Church leaders have made it their touchstone for ministry. An Updated Edition has been published by Moody Press - modernising the text, and enlarging the format. However, while the book has much to recommend it, it represents an outlook which is unlikely to find universal accord among Church leaders.

Sanders introduces the subject of spiritual leadership with a quote from 1 Timothy 3:1 (NEB). "To aspire to leadership is an honorable ambition." It is a telling choice of translation, and sets the tone for all that is to come. By way of comparison, a Greek transliteration puts it as follows: "If anyone aspires to oversight, he desires a good work." Since "ambition" is a word which describes personal motivation, Sanders thus throws the focus back onto the leader. The transliteration, on the other hand, refers to "a work" (Gk. ergos), which is task-oriented. Far from being a question of semantics, this defines the content of the entire book. Sanders focuses heavily on personal character, influence, and motivation, rather than on the task at hand, or on the empowerment of God. In keeping with this, when he deals at length with "essential qualities of leadership", he chooses qualities of character, rather than what one might call core spiritual qualities, such as trust in God, or an understanding of the Holy Spirit's anointing. The consequences of this are a heavy obligation on self - "God, harden me against myself" - and the book is characterised by demanding "the utmost" of oneself.

This approach does find a rapport in many Churches. The book is required reading in a number of Bible seminaries and Churches. It contains a treasure trove of quotations and insights from well known leaders - and by and large it forms a rounded summary of the qualities of a spiritual leader. However, it needs to be read with the understanding that it lacks a spiritual dimension that many would consider crucial to survival in spiritual leadership.