Ebook
"If a leader is a Christian, what difference does it make?" Giant strides have been made in secular leadership theory toward a Christian viewpoint. Priority is now given to character as well as competence, accountability as well as power, transformation as well as transaction, and servanthood as well as success. But these qualities apply to secular as well as to Christian leadership. So, the question remains, "What difference does it make?" David McKenna finds the answer in the Incarnation of Jesus Christ--a divine act for him and a defining attitude for us. Philippians 2:11-15 sets the standard and gives the details. "Your attitude should be the same as Jesus Christ" means following his call to the cross, where we die to self and sacrifice all self-interest in position, power, and prestige in order to serve obediently, faithfully, and humbly for the good of others and the glory of God. Christ-centered leadership is not an extension of the highest and best of human leadership. Radical obedience to the call of Christ and utter dependence upon the Holy Spirit make a substantive difference. In the most practical terms, Incarnation continues in us when we live fully, lead freely, and go where he wants us to go.
"At last! Someone writing about Christian leadership who takes
seriously the incarnation of Jesus and the actual life, ministry,
and writings of Paul. . . . With the insight of decades of
leadership experience and an understanding of contemporary issues,
McKenna brings the focus on Christian leadership to a fine point.
The essential nature of Christian leadership requires a concerted
and sustained discipline to be like Jesus. Nothing else can be
authentically called Christian leadership."
--Jesse C. Middendorf, General Superintendent, Church of the
Nazarene
"What can be more critical to the church than Christ-centered
leadership? What is more contrary to the world than Christ-centered
leadership? Eminent and widely read author David McKenna has been
instrumental in the spiritual formation and development of many of
us. His latest contribution, Christ-Centered Leadership, what he
terms his 'best book,' will be similarly helpful as we follow
Christ, and by his grace lead as he would lead:
sacrificially."
--Commissioners William and Nancy Roberts, USA National Leaders,
The Salvation Army
"I wish I had this book when I began my career as a CEO. David
McKenna gives invaluable insights to a new generation of Christian
leaders, yet his wisdom runs so deep I find much to learn in
Christ-Centered Leadership."
--Richard Stearns, President, World Vision USA
"There are a myriad of books on leadership but none like
Christ-Centered Leadership by longtime leader David McKenna.
It is the premier book on leadership. . . . What is written is not
mere theory but very practical examples of leadership lived out in
the context of large, complex institutions as well as smaller
organizations. . . . A must for every leader, regardless of age or
level of leadership."
--Jo Anne Lyon, General Superintendent, The Wesleyan Church
"Expertly weaving Scripture, leadership research, and personal
experience, David McKenna condenses five decades of senior
leadership wisdom. I wish I could have read this book when I was
thirty!"
--Alec Hill, President, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship
"Die to self and instead do sacrifice in a way that completely
empties you and epitomizes the cross. Christ-Centered
Leadership is a humbly uncompromising manual of uncomfortable
truths, a must-read for anyone truly wanting to model Christ and
his cross in the corner office."
--Harold B. Smith, President and CEO, Christianity Today
"After decades of practicing Christ-centered leadership himself,
David McKenna has put his wisdom into words that will inspire and
instruct a new generation of leaders in both the church and
society. . . . Because so much of what he writes comes from his
actual experience, the book combines the ring of truth with the
tone of authenticity."
--Steve Harper, Professor of Spiritual Formation and Wesley
Studies, Asbury Theological Seminary
"If you could purchase one book on leadership, Christ-Centered
Leadership is the one. . . . This is the kind of book that can
only be written by a Christian leader who is able to look back on
decades of leadership in higher education. McKenna, with beautiful
honesty and candor, shows us how Christian character is, in the
long run, far more important than professional competence."
--Timothy C. Tennent, Professor of World Christianity and
President, Asbury Theological Seminary
"Drawing from a decades-deep well of leadership . . . pitfalls are
exposed and possibilities are explored. This is a much-needed
recasting of Christian, incarnational leadership that is sorely
lacking in marketplace materials on leadership."
--Matthew Thomas, Bishop, Free Methodist Church-USA
"While others are giving Christian leadership the spin of emergent,
missional, transformational, and radical, David McKenna goes right
to the no-spin zone of biblical truth with 'the incarnational
difference.' Leaders who open themselves to the incarnational mind
of Christ will follow him to the cross, die to self, obey the
Spirit, and give the glory to God. Christ-Centered
Leadership may well be the book that will help save us from
ourselves."
--George O. Wood, General Superintendent, The General Council of
the Assemblies of God
"Just when you think there is nothing more to be written about
leadership, David McKenna confronts us with the expectations of the
cross and the Christ. This is an unusual book. McKenna writes with
the breadth of a scholar, the analysis of a theologian, the
experience of a leader, and the passion of an evangelist."
--Leith Anderson, President, National Association of
Evangelicals
"In our day we have oversold passion and transparency and undersold
incarnation and discipleship. McKenna invites us, in a voice born
of wisdom and experience, to respond anew to the two most
challenging, captivating, and terrifying words Jesus ever spoke:
follow me."
--Steve G. W. Moore, Executive Director, The M. J. Murdock
Charitable Trust
"David McKenna has gifted us with a compelling call to leadership.
With clarity and practical wisdom he unpacks the central charge:
'Let this mind be in you that was also in Christ Jesus.' This call
inspires, encourages, and motivates all seeking to lead and
faithfully follow Christ."
--Jeff Pinneo, Chief Executive Officer, Medical Teams
International
David McKenna is the retired President of Spring Arbor University, Seattle Pacific University, and Asbury Theological Seminary. He is the author of thirty-five books ranging from The Communicator's Commentaries on Isaiah, Job, and Mark to The Leader's Legacy and Christ-Centered Higher Education, Retirement Is Not for Sissies, When Our Parents Need Us Most, and When God Laughs with Us: The Lighter Side of Leadership. He and his wife, Janet, celebrate sixty-two years of marriage and reside in Kirkland, Washington.