Practicing Greatness: 7 Disciplines of Extraordinary Spiritual Leaders (Jossey-Bass Leadership Network Series) Review

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(More customer reviews)If the intention of Dr. McNeal was to cause the reader of this book to reflect and evaluate his/her life inwardly and to feel compelled to advance in the disciplines elaborated in this book, then, he succeeded in my case.
I feel that the author has written with wisdom and maturity on a critically important facet of leadership, especially "spiritual" leadership. The disciplines of "self" outlined in this book have been overlooked for too long, making this work much needed and timely for those who realize that today's leadership is in need of reformation. McNeal makes his case with both positive and negative examples in each chapter, writing from his vast experience, and with a sense of having developed these disciplines in his own life.
If you are a leader, or an aspiring leader, please make this book a priority to read. It will certainly make a great contribution to your thinking, and to the formation of "great" leadership in your life. In my opinion, these disciplines are not optional, they are ESSENTIAL.
This is definitely an excellent treatment of the greatest leadership challenge you will ever face - leading your self! Let's face it, you will only be successful at leading others to the degree that you have learned to lead your self.

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A Work of Heart : Understanding How God Shapes Spiritual Leaders Review

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(More customer reviews)Most books for Christian leaders I have read lately deal primarily with skills. I recommend many of these to pastors in my work as a church consultant, because leadership skills are critical to effectiveness.
But McNeal in this book deals with something more foundational than skills--how God shapes the heart of a leader. After four wonderful character sketches, tracing how God shaped the hearts of Moses, David, Paul, and Jesus, preparing them for leadership, McNeal moves into what he calls the six "subplots" of the leader's life: culture, call, community, communion, conflict, and the commonplace.
In the chapter on culture, the author describe two options for how the church can relate to the world--as refuge or mission. Refuge "congregations focus on the past. Fearful of change, these churches create a safe, nostalgic haven for their members." In the missional church, however, "leaders who want to transform the culture seek to build as many bridges as possible to the world outside the faith."
The chapter on communion is probably the best treatment I have seen of the importance of "sabbath time"--regular, protected periods of time alone with God--that I have read. I have been suprised in my work by how few pastors have a discipline of regular, intentional blocks of solitude every week or every other week. I believe that this, far more than learning any set of skills, has the potential to infuse power into the ministry of spiritual leaders. For many pastors and other spiritual leaders, this chapter alone, if heeded, would be worth many times the price of this book.
I sometimes close or follow a consultation by giving the senior pastor the gift of a timely book. This is one I expect to be giving often.

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