Heart, Mind, and Strength: Theory and Practice for Congregational Leadership (Book)
Jeffrey D. Jones, Author.  Herndon, VA: Alban Institute, 2008.

Grounded in extensive research and the author’s many years of experience as a pastor, Heart, Mind, and Strength summarizes the best thinking on leadership from a wide variety of contemporary writers. It also offers practical ways to implement these ideas in the congregational setting.

Jeffrey Jones begins by suggesting that leadership is “never about you” (it’s about Christ and the church) and “it’s always about you” (as Christ’s disciple, someone who is part of the system and has an impact on it). His book focuses on finding ways to address these seemingly contradictory aspects of leadership, cultivating both the art of leadership (the “what”) and the self as leader (the “who”).

At the core of the book is Jones’s belief that “leadership is about both heart and mind and it is only as both of these are nurtured that the strength we need to lead in today’s congregations will come to us.”

Jones opens with a discussion of three perspectives on leadership. He then devotes an entire chapter to attending to the self, noting that “self-care is the central factor nurturing the heart to develop the ‘who’ of leadership.”

Other chapters address how to model values and authenticity, discern vision, create and sustain common ground, empower others, work with groups, and deal with institutional stress and conflict.

This book would be helpful to any pastor—whether novice or experienced—seeking to provide faithful and effective congregational leadership in today’s rapidly changing world.

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Humble Leadership: Being Radically Open to God's Guidance and Grace (Book)
N. Graham Standish, Author.  Herndon, VA: Alban Institute, 2007.
This book defines humble leadership and compares it with other approaches to leadership. Graham Standish explains how humble leadership is self-aware, prayerful, unifying, and Spirit-led; he also names the essential skills of such leadership.

Leadership in Congregations (Book)
Richard Bass, Editor.  Herndon, VA: Alban Institute, 2007.
The articles in this book deal with a wide array of leadership issues—including pastoring a small congregation, leading when consensus fails, and leading for the future. It will offer all leaders some starting point for their own ministries.