Calling Christian Leaders

John Stott is a greatly respected Christian leader - even Archbishops of Canterbury acknowledge his influence is greater then theirs. Listening to him talking about Christian leadership is always profitable and I can heartily recommend this book which looks at 1 Corinthians chapters 1-4 with very relevant application to today. As we see the church taking different models with different styles of leadership it is a salutary journey to get back to the Bible with the likes of John Stott.

As with all his writing, it is clear and challenging. His use of the Bible is a good model for all preachers, biblically based with contemporary application. The book tackles key issues: the tensions between the ‘now’ and the ‘not yet’ of the Christian life, handling power in church, the relationship between Spirit and scripture, thus helping us understand some key aspects of the work of the Holy Spirit. It is good to get a clear comment on the verbal inspiration of the Bible when we sometimes overlook this important truth for evangelical Christians.

This book can help us discover what is church and so see the place and role of Christian leadership. The study guide at the end makes it a good resource for group study.

Reviewed by the Revd Andrew J M Barker
Headline Summer 2003 p.23