The Leadership Lessons of Jesus by Bob Briner and Ray Pritchard instructs the reader on how to become an effective Christian leader. Bob Briner was a lead figure in sports management, received an Emmy as a TV producer, and now is president of ProServ Television. He is also a prolific writer. Ray Pritchard is president of Keep Believing Ministries, which is known for a national preaching ministry and Outreach to China.
Many Christian leaders dont realize that Jesus was the most influential and effective leader ever to walk the face of Earth. This book was written to inform readers of the many timeless lessons of leadership Jesus displayed and taught to the world, as well as to bring us closer to Jesus and have him become more personal to us.
Briner and Pritchard believe that the many lessons of leadership shown through the actions of Jesus Christ in the Gospel of Mark are currently relevant, especially in an era wherein leaders are mistrusted and viewed with contempt. Their book is told in the first person and is broken into many easy-to-read 2 or -3 page chapters. Each chapter highlights and explains a certain quality of Jesus leadership skills. This book is also chronologically aligned with the Gospel of Mark.
Jesus was a perfect leader. Everything he set out to do was accomplished in just four years. Also, his message and his goals were so powerful that even after two-thousand years people are still willing to die for him. What Jesus did, and how he did it, is not impossible to emulate in many ways. Most of the leadership skills he used are just as applicable today. One such skill would be how to rebuke a follower. Another would be about the keeping of secrets, or what to tell and not to tell. A line in The Leadership Lessons of Jesus as taken from Benjamin Franklin sums up secrets pretty well: Three can keep a secret if two of them are dead. The authors explain the practice and theory of Jesus use of management skills through his own experience, as well as through deductive reasoning.
This book is well written. Overall, I believe this book is a wonderful tool for learning to be an effective leader, but like any tool it can be used for good or evil. Leadership used to serve the Lord is excellent, but those who lead cults or false religions only bring destruction upon gullible followers. The lessons in this book are too important to ignore. I would definitely recommend this book for anyone wanting to be an effective, honest, goal-oriented leader. - Stephen Dietrich, www.ChristianBookPreviews.com
