Pastors aren’t perfect. They battle with temptation and sin just like the rest of us. But when they fall from grace, they make headlines—and sometimes they drag down whole congregations.
So what does it take to be successful in Christian leadership?
In his brand-new book, Faithful Leaders: And the Things That Matter Most, author and pastor Rico Tice helps us focus our ambitions on the things that matter to God rather than the things that impress the world. “Hearing your Creator and your Father say, ‘Well done’—that’s all that ultimately matters, isn’t it?” writes Rico, “That’s the measure of a life worth living.”
With this countercultural definition of success in hand, Rico draws from Scripture, personal experience, and the wisdom of seasoned Christian leaders to highlight the importance of faithfully preaching the Bible and making sure your character matches your teaching. Gifted teaching alone can’t make up for a lack of good conduct. A lasting ministry requires both. When you read Faithful Leaders, you’ll be able to identify the marks of godly character, detect false teaching, and develop a plan to safeguard both your character and your ministry.
In four short chapters, Rico challenges Christian leaders to redefine success, fight sin, lead themselves, and serve their churches. He writes not as someone who has it all figured out but as one who’s in the trenches with you, warning that it’s not a question of if we sin but of when we sin—and what we’ll do about it. Whether you’re new to ministry or you’ve been teaching for decades, reading Faithful Leaders will prepare you to intercept a tempting thought before it becomes a sinful action—before your reputation, family, ministry, and congregation are destroyed.
Faithful Leaders is a great book for leadership training and tune-up, whether you lead a congregation, a class, or just your family. The back of the book also contains challenging and practical questions for reflection and discussion. This isn’t a book you’ll read once and set aside; you’ll return to it time and again to be certain you and your ministry are staying on track.
In the foreword, Alistair writes, “You hold in your hands a book that will do you great good … For the church needs you to lead faithfully, and this book will not only show you how to do so but inspire you to do so.”
Learn how to lead like Jesus so that you will one day hear, “Well done!” from God’s lips—the only lips that ultimately matter.
