Leadership in the Way of the Cross: Forging Ministry from the Crucible of Crisis

This book is for people who are serious about leading people--men and women who have accepted big challenges, who have passed through the fire of tough decisions, who have acknowledged they at times have failed, and have recovered for the next challenge, but do not want to repeat the past. The thesis of the book is that the journey of leadership takes us deep into the dangers of both authority and risk, and our attempts to avoid one or the other of these dangers will precipitate crisis. As a leader who desires to flourish, it is critical to ask, is anyone following? And are we following Jesus as we invite others to follow us? In this book I invite you into my journey, and the journeys of other ministry leaders, through the deep waters of crisis and the challenge of learning to lead so that people are following. This process begins with self-discovery--disclosing default habits, fears, and hungers--followed by trusting the Holy Spirit to work God's transformation within us, and then to engaging the hard work of mobilizing his body, the people of God, so that every part is doing his work.


Sherwood G. Lingenfelter is Senior Professor of Anthropology at the School of Intercultural Studies, and Provost Emeritus of Fuller Theological Seminary. He is author of Leading Cross-culturally (2008), Transforming Culture (1998), and Ministering Cross-culturally (with Marvin K. Mayers, 1986, 2003, 2016).