The Conviction to Lead

"True leadership starts with a purpose, not a plan."   In many ways this statement sums up Albert Mohler's excellent book on leadership:  The Conviction to Lead.   Leadership has to do with conviction.   As he writes:   "Congregations and Christian institutions need effective leaders who are authentically Christian -- whose leadership flows out of their Christian commitment."  

 

In my library I have several shelves of books on leadership.   Many are helpful books written by prominent leaders.    Not all of these book are written from a Christian perspective.   But I have benefited from studying all of these books.   Mohler's book will rank among the top ten books I have on leadership.     It is very readable and practical, and anyone in Christian leadership will find this book an excellent addition to their library. 

The best part of Mohler's book is the emphasis he places on beliefs.    He makes the point that Christian leadership cannot be separated from passionately held beliefs.   Only if you are deeply committed to truth will you be ready for leadership.   What we need in our world today are men and women who will simultaneously lead with conviction and be driven by a conviction to lead.   Such leaders will set the world on fire. 

When it comes to leadership, there is an urgency in our churches.  First, we simply do not have enough leaders.   Pastors, elders, deacons, ministry leaders, small group leaders, church planters -- churches are always looking for leaders to fill vacant positions and begin new initiatives.   But second, and perhaps even more important, the urgency has to do with the quality of leaders -- passionate men and women who are "driven by the knowledge that the right beliefs, aimed at the right opportunity, can lead to earth-shaking changes."   Mohler's book is aimed at helping us see this kind of leadership happen. 

The Conviction to Lead is divided into 25 chapters, each chapter exploring a specific principle for leadership.   Some of these chapters are real gems, worth reading and re-reading.  Chapter 4, entitled "Leadership Is Narrative", Mohler describes leadership in terms of drawing followers into the Biblical story, a story that frames all of life.   He makes the point:  "No organization that exists simply for itself is worth leading.  Leaders want to lead organizations and movements that make a difference -- that fill a need and solve real problems.   That story frames the mission and identity of the organization, and explains why you give you life to it.  The excellent leader is the steward-in-chief of that story...."

The following chapter is equally worth reading and re-reading.   In this chapter Mohler argues that leaders shape the way their followers see the world.   "The leader must shape the way followers think about what is real, what is true, what is right, and what is important."   The other chapters deal with important leadership principles such as character, thinking, teaching, communication, reading, managing, speaking, stewardship, morality, making decisions, writing, time management, leaving a legacy, to mention a few.   Current issues are also discussed, such as, how do we lead in a digital world.   

The one chapter that really challenged me was Mohler's chapter on endurance.   Quoting Eugene Peterson, he describes Christian  perseverance as "a long obedience in the same direction."   The Christian life is often just a matter of simple obedience, putting one foot in front of the other and refusing to fall or falter.   "If you want to make a lasting difference, you had better make the commitment to endure."  These words encourage me as I begin my fourth decade of leadership in church.   Leadership is about leaving a legacy, and as Mohler writes:  "Your legacy is all that remains when you are gone.  Do you have any idea what that legacy will be?   Answering that question honestly is part of what it means to have the conviction to lead." 

If you are looking for an excellent book on leadership -- one that will not only challenge you, but encourage you -- then look no further than Mohler's The Conviction to Lead.    Albert Mohler writes as a practitioner.   For the past three decades he has served as the president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.   This is also what makes this book so readable.   It is full of practical examples taken from his own life's experiences.    If you are part of a leadership team, then I recommend you studying this book as a group.   It will sharpen the blunt edges of leadership among you.    It will make a worthwhile addition to every Christian leader's library. 

The Conviction to Lead (Bethany House Publishers, Minneapolis: 2012)