Humble Leadership: Being Radically Open to God’s Guidance and Grace
N. Graham Standish
There comes a point at which leadership can break down precisely because of our success as leaders. When confidence turns to pride and arrogance, we lose sight of the people we have been called to serve and become consumed with following our own vision. Graham Standish offers a way forward that moves us through this paradox by seeking to humbly follow God’s plans rather than our own.
Humble leadership, grounded in the teachings of Jesus, means recognizing that what we have and who we are are gifts from God, and our lives should reflect our gratitude for these gifts. It requires us to be radically and creatively open to God’s guidance, grace, and presence in everything. When we lead out of such openness, God’s power and grace flow through us.
The path Standish proposes is not easy. Humble leadership can be personally dangerous, exposing our weakness, powerlessness, fear, and anxiety. Our cultural need for strength infects Christian leaders with a pride that causes them to ignore biblical teachings on humility. But a humble leader says to God, "I’m yours, no matter where you call me to go, what you call me to do, and how you call me to be. I will seek your will and way as I lead others to do the same."
Praise for the Book
"This is a brilliant book and, equally, a very pastoral one. That combination rarely happens; even more rarely is it ever realized as effectively as here. The result is a book worthy of savoring several times over."—Phyllis Tickle
"Only rarely does a book make me stop, put it down, and pray. Humble Leadership made me do just that."—Diana Butler Bass
"Humble Leadership gently guides the reader on a journey that is in the reading alone a deeply transformative experience."—Susan Kendall
"A thoughtful leader with a vital spirituality and passionate commitment to mission, Graham Standish has a voice and example I respect."—Brian McLaren
About the Author
N. Graham Standish is pastor of Calvin Presbyterian Church in Zelienople, Pennsylvania, a church devoted to following Christ through prayer and spirituality. He is the author of the best-selling Becoming a Blessed Church and other books and articles on spirituality and spiritual direction.
ISBN# 978-1-56699-336-4
Alban No. AL326
paper, 186 pages
2007
In stock
$18.00
($14.40 for members)
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