Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership: Seeking God in the Crucible of Ministry [Hardcover]

Ruth Haley Barton (Author), Leighton Ford (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 6, 2008

"I'm tired of helping others enjoy God." "I just want to enjoy God for myself." With this painful admission, Ruth Haley Barton invites us to an honest exploration of what happens when spiritual leaders lose track of their souls. Weaving together contemporary illustrations with penetrating insight from the life of Moses, Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership explores topics such as

• responding to the dynamics of calling
• facing the loneliness of leadership
• leading from your authentic self
• cultivating spiritual community
• reenvisioning the promised land
• discerning God's will together

Each chapter includes a spiritual practice to ensure your soul gets the nourishment it needs. Forging and maintaining a life-giving connection with God is the best choice you can make for yourself and for those you lead.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"For those of us who lead, there are many fine books to hone our skills. But too few excavate our souls. Too few tell us stark truths, and serve up strong tonic, and give us hope and courage in the face of our calling's hardships and loneliness and moments of sheer tedium. Too few teach us how to seek and find God in the maze of committee work and the darkness of criticism and the heartbreak of betrayal. This book does all that, and well. Ruth Haley Barton has kept company with Moses, a 'pragmatic' and 'visionary' leader who found that, unless God went with him, there was no place worth going. Ruth's insights will at the very least strengthen the soul of your leadership. For some, it may make the difference in whether you finish the race at all." (Mark Buchanan, author of The Rest of God and pastor of New Life Community Church, Duncan, British Columbia )

"In the same spirit in which Henri Nouwen wrote The Return of the Prodigal Son, Ruth Haley Barton has captured the soul of Moses and has revealed him to us as a seeker of truth, wisdom and vulnerability." (Glandion W. Carney, Chaplain of the Christian Legal Society )

"A weary, waiting world cries out for God-shaped leaders who would serve more than be served, who would find power by laying down power, who would lose their lives for others. In her reflections on the life of Moses, God's radically human and holy friend, Ruth Haley Barton has given us not only a portrait of what sacrificial and redemptive leadership looks like, but has provided practice for getting there. This is a book to read alone and together. It will encourage and empower us to seek God more deeply, to listen for and embody our innate callings, to stay faithful to our solitary and even lonely journeys in community, and to love God for the long haul." (N. Gordon Cosby, cofounder, The Church of the Saviour, Washington D.C. )

"In a landscape littered with leadership books that tinker at the margins of what really matters, Ruth Haley Barton offers us practical guidance to the core of life-changing leadership: spiritual authenticity and health. Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership lays bare the ancient truth that great leadership comes from the inside out, and provides a helpful road map for examining and seeking God's transformation of that largely unexamined inner core from which true leadership proceeds. This is a powerful resource for me and my own leadership team." (Gary Haugen, president, International Justice Mission, and author of Good News About Injustice )

"[This] book has become for me a companion on the way. . . . The author's style is warm and accessible. I like her insights into the inner life of the leader. . . . I am deeply grateful for the helpful practices she describes and recommends. But what draws me even more is that Ruth writes with realness and integrity out of her own intimate experience of the inner journey of a leader. . . . Reading this book will surely help you to be attentive to the God who is the strength of your soul, and the heart of your leadership." (From the foreword by Leighton Ford, founder of the Arrow Leadership program and author of The Attentive Life )

About the Author

Ruth Haley Barton is a spiritual director, teacher, author and retreat leader trained at the Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation (Washington, D.C.). She is cofounder and president of The Transforming Center, a ministry to pastors and Christian leaders.

Educated at Wheaton College and Northern Seminary, Barton has served at several churches, including Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois. Her books include Invitation to Solitude and Silence, Sacred Rhythms, Longing for More (all InterVarsity Press), An Ordinary Day with Jesus: Experiencing the Reality of God in Your Everyday Life (with John Ortberg, Willow Creek Resources), Ruth: Relationships That Bring Life (Shaw) and a series of articles called The Transforming Leader in Christian Management Report.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 231 pages
• Publisher: IVP Books (June 6, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 083083513X
• ISBN-13: 978-0830835133
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #24,988 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #61 in Books > Christian Books & Bibles > Ministry & Church Leadership > Ministry

More About the Author

Ruth Haley Barton is founder of the Transforming Center (www.thetransformingcenter.org), a ministry dedicated to strengthening the souls of pastors, Christian leaders and the congregations and organizations they serve. A sought-after teacher, spiritual director, and retreat leader, Ruth is the author of numerous books and articles on the spiritual life including Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership: Seeking God in the Crucible of Ministry, Sacred Rhythms: Arranging Our Lives for Spiritual Transformation, Invitation to Solitude and Silence, and Longing for More.

Educated at Northern Seminary, the Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation and Loyola University Chicago Institute for Pastoral Studies, she has served on the pastoral staff of several churches including Willow Creek Community Church.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Refreshment for the Leader's Soul, August 30, 2008

By 

Mike Bonem "Mike" (Bellaire, TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership: Seeking God in the Crucible of Ministry (Hardcover)

"Strengthening the soul of our leadership is an invitation that begins, continues and ends with seeking God in the crucible of ministry." These words from the final chapter summarize the central theme of the book. The chapters leading up to it paint a compelling picture of the fruitfulness and joy of leading from a healthy soul that is focused on God, and the risks of soul-less leadership in ministry.

Barton follows the story of Moses and talks about her own journey, including struggles and victories. At times she challenges the reader to take stock and at other times she offers practical advice for refilling our souls. And at the end of each chapter, she offers a "practice" that will help readers to reflect on and apply the teaching they've just read.

I'm not one to read with a highlighter in hand, but within the first few pages I found myself thinking, "Oh, that's good," and marking a couple of sentences for future references. I kept going back to the highlighter as Barton kept taking me to places deep in my spirit. At times Barton's words were a needed wake-up call and at other times they were a source of refreshment. I'm thankful for both, and I'm sure that you will be as well.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Answers a real problem that many may not realize exists for their pastors and priests, December 8, 2008

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership: Seeking God in the Crucible of Ministry (Hardcover)

It may seem hard to believe, being a pastor or other religious leader can be very draining on one's faith. "Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership: Seeking God in the Crucible of Ministry" is a guide for religious leaders who want to maintain their own faith while leading others. With tips on realizing when one is born to lead in faith, surrounding oneself with a positive congregation and more, "Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership" answers a real problem that many may not realize exists for their pastors and priests.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Soul Whackers, December 22, 2009

By 

John W. Pearson "John Pearson Associates" (San Clemente, CA, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership: Seeking God in the Crucible of Ministry (Hardcover)

The sidebars and the prayers in this book are soul whackers. Like Henri Nouwen's elbow-to-the-gut: "The great illusion of leadership is to think that man can be led out of the desert by someone who has never been there."

Sometimes you're fortunate enough to chew through a book with soul-probing insights and illuminating "Ah ha!" moments. Then there are times when the content is not so soul-shattering, but the writing is poetic and almost symphonic. Amazingly, this 221-page gem is both. It whacked my soul. It raised my sights. I appreciate my God and Savior more today than I did last week.

Bill Hybels often preaches, "Speed of the leader, speed of the team." Perhaps you've had those times like this author, Ruth Haley Barton, who sighed, "I'm tired of helping others enjoy God; I just want to enjoy God for myself." If your leadership life needs not just a boost, but a divine encounter with our Holy God, read this book. Slowly.

"Strengthening the soul of your leadership is an invitation to enter more deeply into the process of spiritual transformation and to choose to lead from that place," writes Barton. "It is an opportunity to forge a connection between our souls and our leadership rather than experiencing them as separate arenas of our lives."

She rightly observes, "The market is glutted with books on leadership, and many contain contradictory messages." She takes leaders down a very slow path of spiritual leadership--focusing on sustenance for their own souls. "Then, rather than offering the cold stone of past devotionals, regurgitated apologetics or someone else's musings about the spiritual life [or might I add the latest email devotional], we will have bread to offer from the oven of our intimacy with God."

Using the story of Moses--with fresh insights--Barton concludes each chapter with a "Practice" suggestion and serves up often remarkable prayers from saints past and present.

While I read every book I review, I typically read fast and slow down only to underline good stuff. Trust me--you can't read this rapidly. A chapter-a-day was about my limit. The soul whacks are unnerving, refreshing, penetrating and deep. For me, it would have been sinful to rush through this treasure. Don Parrott, president of The Finishers Project, encouraged me to read this book (it was on my "Read Soon" shelf), yet with a warning. "After you read it, you'll need to get away for some solitude to deal with it." I agree.

Leighton Ford's foreword pulls you into the richness of the topics like "When Leaders Lose Their Souls," "The Practice of Paying Attention," "Guiding Others on the Spiritual Journey," "Living Within Limits," "Spiritual Rhythms in the Life of the Leader," and thoughts on the loneliness of leadership, isolation and finding God's will together. It's real stuff--because Barton is a nonprofit ministry leader herself. She gets it. You, or someone close to you, will cherish this book.