The Christian Leader: Rehabilitating Our Addiction to Secular Leadership

Written by Bill Hull and Robby Gallaty

Narrated by Mike Terry

What if everything you've heard about leadership is wrong?

Secular models of leadership rooted in pragmatic success dominate Christian leadership in the West. It makes our work impersonal and exploitive. And, at worst, it serves the leader rather than those the leader leads.

We need a different style of leadership—one patterned after Jesus. We need to learn to influence others out of our character, for that is what Jesus did.

The Christian Leader is not about improving your church, your work, or your family; it is about changing how you lead. It does more than teach you how to modify your behavior; it shows you how to change the sources of your behavior—your motives and reasons for being a Christian leader. In the end, as everything you know and believe about Christian leadership is transformed, it will lead to transformation in those you lead and serve.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Zondervan
• Release date: Aug 18, 2020
• ISBN: 9780310119609

Bill Hull

Bill Hull is a discipleship evangelist and the author of the bestselling discipleship classics, The Disciple-Making Pastor, and Jesus Christ, Disciplemaker. He served as a pastor for 20 years and now leads the Bonhoeffer Project. Bill regularly speaks and teaches on discipleship and also serves as an adjunct professor at Talbot School of Theology, Biola University.    

Reviews for The Christian Leader

[mitchellray · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

"The Christian Leader" by Bill Hull explains how Christians are to lead. This book is aimed at all Christians, not just those in formal church leadership roles. Hull believes all Christians are called to lead others to Christ. But this is not a book about discipleship, not directly. Hull challenges the appropriateness of secular leadership models for Christians who would lead in any sector of society. Hull holds up Jesus as the model leader and outlines in the book the leadership lessons Jesus teaches us. For Hull, being a leader is about character. To be a Christian leader means to allow ourselves to be shaped and led by God. Hull’s description of the Christian leader goes contrary to the usual secular model of a leader. Hull identifies as an evangelist but has little patience for the holier-than-thou variety. But Hull’s strong Christian language leaves no doubt about his faith commitment to Jesus Christ. There are lessons to be learned about authentic leadership from the book even for those who do not share Hull’s faith perspective. It may be difficult, though, for such readers to get past the Christian language to glean the universal lessons for leaders. But Hull is clearly writing for Christians and based on that premise, he has written a useful book for those who would lead following Jesus Christ as their model.