Book Review: "On Being a Leader for God" written by Warren W. Wiersbe

Review written by Matthew Kratz

In the preface, pastor and Bible teacher Warren W. Wiersbe articulates the purpose of this book is to be "a practical 'theology of leadership' based on the principles and illustrated taught in the Bible" (p.10). He makes clear distinctions throughout the book between "leaders" who deal with vision and direction from "managers" to deal with day to day implementation (p.15).

This book is filled with helpful bible verses, quotes, stories, and illustrations of what it means to be a godly and biblical leader for God’s glory. There are times when the theology is not as tight and precise as I would like (God "needed" Adam and Eve to tend the garden (p.18) yet it is generally helpful

This book is meant to be a sequel to the well-known and loved book On Being A Servant Of God by Wiersbe. In that book we have a powerful exhortation to serve God’s people and maintain a servant’s heart in ministry. In this book we have a broader look at the responsibilities, character and Biblical description of a Christian leader. Wiersbe deals biblically with topics that are relevant to Christian leadership, including:

*obedience
*character
*maturity
*ability
*God's authority
*seizing opportunities
*biblical images of leadership
*measuring management
*being a leader versus a boss
*change management
*organizational leadership
*vision

The chapters are short (4-7 pages), making the book easy to read, though the lack of chapter headings or titles is very frustrating. For my own reference, I summarised the topics of each chapter and made my own table of contents.  Only after completing the book did some of the progressions from topic to topic become a little clearer. Although, the progression in each chapter seems not to flow at times and the logical link was sometimes hard to follow, for connections were not always made.

I appreciated the focus on a leaders humility and faithfulness, over a "leadership principle" approach. Indeed, there a no quick actions to long term effective leadership. Self-checks on Biblical principles (p. 30) were helpful.

Although a seasoned pastor/writer/speaker/board member, Wiersbe shows particular insight in dealing with those of various generations (p. 111). There are often times I wished he would have taken a topic/passage and drawn out the meaning and implications instead of just dealing with it in passing.

The work would be an excellent introduction to leadership since it is an overview of Biblical principles. It is suitable for an introductory college (or high school) course on leadership, or for a Christian in any leadership situation.

Price:	$13.99 US
ISBN:	978-0-8010-1382-9
ISBN-10:	0-8010-1382-8
Dimensions:	5.5 x 8.5
Number of pages:	144
Carton Quantity:	76
Publication Date:	Jun. 11
Formats:	Paperback

 "Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.  Available at your favourite bookseller from Baker Books, a division of Baker Publishing Group".