This paper reviews George Barna's edited volume Leaders on Leadership: Wisdom, Advice and Encouragement on the Art of Leading God's People. The review examines how Barna and his contributors blend biblical principles with practical organizational thinking to argue that America's churches are in decline due to inadequate leadership. Three chapters receive particular attention: Kenneth O. Gangel's exploration of administrative gifts in scripture, Gene Getz's principles of spiritually mature leadership, and Doug Murren's model of the leader as a change agent. The reviewer praises the book's research-grounded approach and accessible storytelling while noting a tendency toward self-promotion as its primary weakness.
One can see why a reader might pass over Leaders on Leadership at first glance. There are a great many business books on the topic, and the mix of business and biblical thinking could easily seem unclear or unappealing. But this volume lives up to the promises of its subtitle: it is a genuine offering of Wisdom, Advice and Encouragement on the Art of Leading God's People.
What stands out immediately is the playful, life-connected nature of the book. It is filled with approachable stories in which the editor and contributors — each remarkable leaders within various spiritual communities — share their viewpoints and demonstrate how they work through reflections and interactions with everyday people, some of whom are followers and others who may not be religious at all. George Barna himself sets this tone from the beginning by drawing on sports stories and personal experiences, which encourages the other writers to remain accessible and relatable throughout.
It is also hard not to appreciate a book that states plainly from the outset: "If you agree with all that is in this book, you are not reading carefully enough." Leaders, the text argues, are independent thinkers who must know when to agree with ideas and when to challenge them. This is Barna's way of inviting readers to think critically as they read and arrive at whatever conclusions work best for their own search for what makes a good leader.
Barna strengthens his case through the extensive research he brings to the subject. His professional work centers on the study of faith, religion, and the church experience in America, and he deploys that research effectively here. He examines why religious institutions are not functioning as well as they could and argues that this is precisely why better leaders are needed — leaders who draw their motivation from faith and reinforce it with sound organizational thinking.
It is this combination of research rigor and personal conviction that gives Barna credibility even when he advances controversial ideas. He argues with confidence that America's churches are in decline, and that the cause is a failure of leadership — a kind of leadership that God himself expects. As Barna writes in his introduction, God sends leaders continually, which means leadership is important enough that believers must learn to do it well, particularly within the institutions that reflect His broader purposes.
Because he knows this claim is provocative, Barna is careful to clarify that he is speaking about the operational elements of churches, not their theological foundations. As he observes, most people do not live on the theoretical plane where holiness and righteousness are debated in the abstract. They live in the practical, and it is on that practical level that stronger religious organizations in America must be built. This distinction is what makes his argument both accessible and defensible.
The book's chapters offer a step-by-step map of what leadership is and how it is grounded in the Bible and other religious directives. Each contributor approaches the subject from a different angle, yet together they move the reader toward a conclusion that Barna has advanced in other work: that most leadership in contemporary churches draws from the strengths of individual practitioners. While this may serve certain spiritual needs, it limits the broader contribution that others can make and constrains the development of leadership teams capable of making better use of scarce resources. Ultimately, leadership teaming is presented as the most important outcome to pursue.
"Gangel, Getz, and Murren chapters analyzed in depth"
"One significant weakness noted: self-promotion"
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