Engaging With This Book
Learning to Lead at the Feet of Jesus
What’s the Book About and Who is it For?
Learning to Lead at the Feet of Jesus is a book about Jesus. It is a book about the sacred task of leadership, sacred because it involves the lives of human beings made in the image of God. And it is a book about Christian leadership in particular—influencing others toward God to discover, embrace, and fulfill his purposes.
Learning to Lead at the Feet of Jesus is for women and men who sense God has invited them to serve others in formal or informal leadership roles, and who long to have their leadership characterized by the unmistakable presence of Jesus. It is for those serving in every arena of leadership: political and civil, business and nonprofit, as well as ministries that are explicitly Christian.
My goal in writing the bookis to inspire men and women to lead in ways that:
Give the Father pleasure
Bring glory to Jesus, and
Enable them to better shepherd the people, churches, and organizations they are leading.
That’s the best description of faithful biblical leadership that I know.
Learning to Lead at the Feet of Jesus is an invitation to explore what it will take to see these three things happen.
Key Premises on which Learning to Lead at the Feet of Jesus is Built
The more deeply we appreciate Jesus, the more ready we will be to take his teaching and modeling about leadership seriously.
Just as Jesus anchored his life and ministry to the Father, he calls us to anchor our lives and ministry to him.
To miss Jesus’ priority on living in his Father’s presence, serving for his Father’s pleasure, and submitting to his Father’s will, is to miss the essence of Jesus’ leadership.
There is no better place to learn how to lead in the image and authority of Jesus than at his feet.
“No leader can survive their own unchallenged authority.”
Neil Anderson, Bondage Breaker.
Eat This Book
To get the most benefit from reading and interacting with the content of Learning to Lead at the Feet of Jesus, don’t just read it, eat it:
With the gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John provide the context and content for the book. Read them, listen to them,* watch them.**
With others: a small group whom you know and trust, or whom you’re willing to get to know and trust
With reflection: pausing to ponder and share your answers to the questions interspersed throughout each chapter.
* Listen to the Gospels: there are many sites online, such as:
https://www.biblica.com/online-bible/
*Watch the Gospels: there is also a great deal available online, for example:
https://www.bible.com/videos/collections/6-lumo-project-the-complete-collection