Excellence in Leadership: Reaching Goals with Prayers, Courage and Determination

by John L. White

Publisher:

InterVarsity Press

, 1986

Overview

• Short deadlines • Not enough staff • Tight budgets • Personal attacks • External opposition • Internal conflicts • A huge task Every leader faces these problems. But as Christians, should we solve them by using the secular strategies of best-selling management books? Or is there another way? John White says there is. Nehemiah provides the model we need for excellence in leadership. From the way he overcame obstacles, we find practical solutions for surmounting the problems we encounter. From the way he achieved his goals, we learn how to accomplish the work God has called us to. With the wisdom and biblical insight John White is known for, he shows how to be action-oriented and prayer-oriented, a firm leader and a servant, a realist and a visionary. This book confronts the crises facing leaders today. Here White inspires and guides us in our task. A book for present and future leaders.

Contents

Top Highlights

“Good leaders are not workaholics. They work hard without being in bondage to work itself. They are not frightened of work. They are not frightened of delegating work. A good leader sees work as a means of achieving a specific goal The value of the work is not measured by the status of people who perform a specific type of work. All work is valued by its necessity in achieving the goal. In Nehemiah’s case the goal is to make Jerusalem defensible. To accomplish that Nehemiah both assigned the work to others and participated in the work himself.” (Pages 53–54)

“Nehemiah went to pray in a storm of emotion. He wept, mourned, fasted.” (Page 18)

“But I must make clear what I mean by organization. Organization is bad if it does usurp the Holy Spirit. You cannot organize people into the kingdom. When I think of Nehemiah’s capacity for organization, I am really thinking of the orderly way in which he went about his task And orderliness is biblical. ‘Everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way,’ Paul wrote (1 Cor 14:40). After all, God is a God of order. The creation is superbly ordered. An orderly God will not inspire chaos by his Holy Spirit.” (Page 36)

“People in leadership have to decide on needed assignments and see that all tasks are carried out. No leader can lead without delegating responsibilities to others, and perhaps there is no more delicate test of good leadership than the way in which leaders handle this task.” (Pages 54–56)

“Nehemiah is a man of action. Once he gets approval for his plan from the king, we see him negotiate for supplies, arrange for safe passage, do advance planning, mobilize a large work force and divide a massive public-works project into manageable units. This seems to come as quite a contrast to the pious and prayerful Nehemiah we met earlier, for now we see an efficient manager hard at work. This naturally leads us to ask, What is the nature and place of efficiency and organization in godly leadership?” (Page 35)

Product Details

• Title: Excellence in Leadership: Reaching Goals with Prayers, Courage and Determination
• Author: John L. White
• Publisher: InterVarsity Press
• Print Publication Date: 1986
• Logos Release Date: 2020
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Reader Edition
• Subjects: Nehemiah (Governor of Judah); Nehemiah › Criticism, interpretation, etc; Christian leadership › Case studies
• ISBNs: 9780830868902, 9780877845706, 0830868909, 0877845700
• Resource ID: LLS:WS_61DD132F337E4C47A3A10EDA3C902AE4
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2022-09-30T04:11:15Z

About John L. White

John L. White is internationally known for his study of ancient Greek letters, especially letters written on papyrus and formulaic features of the Apostle Paul's letters. He is the author and editor of multiple works and essays on ancient letter writing and was Convener (1973–1974) and Chair of the Society of Biblical Literature's "Ancient Epistolography Group" (1974–1979).