New books from the LL team
It's an exciting month for us here at Living Leadership as two of our staff team celebrate the publication of new two books designed to equip the Church.
In this week's blog, we wanted to share these books with you in the hope that they can help you grapple with these important topics.
Powerful Leaders?
When church leadership goes wrong and how to prevent it
Marcus Honeysett
How do Christian leaders end up abusing power, even though many begin with good intentions? More importantly, how can we prevent it?
Powerful Leaders? exposes and explores how people in positions of authority can be tempted away from a biblical model of leadership into an illegitimate – and, in the worst cases, abusive – use of power. Drawing on his years of experience working with leaders and congregations, Marcus Honeysett traces how those in power in the church can move along a spectrum of healthy to unhealthy uses of authority and position and offers practical wisdom to prevent this from happening.
Whether you are in leadership or in a position to hold leaders accountable, this book will challenge and equip you to be more aware of the dynamics of power – and enable you to take the necessary steps forward to create healthier church cultures in which everyone can thrive.
We are also pleased to make available an Audit of Abuse of Power that accompanies the book.
For more information and to buy your copy, visit the publisher's website.
Read what others say about this book...
Few issues are as pressing for the church today as the right and godly approach to power and leadership, and few are as qualified to write on it as Marcus Honeysett. This is an outstanding and urgent book for our times. I am confident it will help many churches towards safety and health.
- Sam Allberry, pastor and author
In a season where we are only too aware of the clay feet of some of our Christian leaders, Marcus’s timely book speaks with compassion, integrity and a deep knowledge of his subject area. While an admittedly sobering read, this wise and practical book perceptively outlines the early warning signs of the misuse of power in a leadership context. Engaging with biblical material and real-life experiences, Powerful Leaders will be a vital resource for all kinds of leaders and churches who wish to pursue godly wisdom, accountability and integrity in leadership.
- The Revd Dr Hannah Steele, Director, St Mellitus College, London
A really important book that contains warning signs for all in Christian leadership. I pray that it will make a significant impact in enabling healthier leadership in our churches.
- Gavin Calver, CEO, Evangelical Alliance
What an important book! This is a must-read, must-think-about, must-act-on essential read for all church leaders – and members. Marcus writes wisely, courageously, searchingly and humbly. He keeps shining the light of Christ’s grace into the dark corners of our leadership lives. It should lead all of us to be more repentant, more believing and more humble servants of the Lord and people.
I think his description of what should be Bible-based, transparent, legitimate and boundaried church leadership is spot on. This book must not be ignored by any servant of the Lord.
- Dr Ray Evans, FIEC Leadership Consultant and a pastor at Grace Community Church, Bedford
Being concerned for how Christian leaders lead and the potential for power abuses is neither a passing fad nor capitulation to some external agendas. It is a profoundly biblical and godly concern and Marcus Honeysett has written such a helpful and down-to-earth introduction to some of the key issues. Many of us feel immobilized by fears of getting things wrong but, in this book, we find practical wisdom and helpful questions, especially in identifying stages along the slippery slope to abuse. This will be invaluable both for leaders and those they lead
- Mark Meynell, Director, Europe and Caribbean, Langham Preaching
Marcus understands the subtleties involved within the power dynamics of leadership and life in the local church. The book will save you from simplistic understanding of why power is wielded poorly and enable you to act thoughtfully and prayerfully to deal not only with the worst excesses, but also any creeping slippage in your own heart. I would certainly give every newcomer to pastoral ministry a copy but, if you are already leading, I would suggest you read it prayerfully with your leadership team and reap the benefits in your local church.
- Andy Peck, host of The Leadership Show, Premier Christian Radio
The author introduces the reader to what is a complex and challenging issue in the church today. He helpfully identifies five factors by which a leader can review or be reviewed within any context. The section on leaders understanding and reflecting on their leadership provides good questions and thoughts on how a leader with genuine concern to lead with humility and dependence can do a self-appraisal. There are many helpful insights in this book, which will be a useful tool.
- Dianne Tidball, ex-president of The Baptist Union, Baptist Regional Minister, and Deputy Chair, Hope in Action
The power dimension in relationships, unrecognized for most of my ministry, is now centre stage. Marcus Honeysett has thought deeply about the issue and provided a forensic analysis of what can go wrong, based on a wide range of experiences. He has also provided an encouraging, practical guide to both avoiding problems and putting them right when they occur. Reading the book will help every leader to look in the mirror. The key is then not to forget what we have seen.
- Derek Tidball, theologian, writer and previous Principal, London School of Theology
Having read Marcus Honeysett’s fine book, several observations come to mind. It is insightful, wise, thorough, sensitive and compassionate; a careful handling of a delicate theme by someone with genuine care for the body of Christ, avoiding accusation but arguing constructively for paths of peace and security.
- Terry Virgo, founder of Newfrontiers and author of God’s Treasured Possession
Serving Two Masters
Probing the tensions between science and faith in the art of healthcare
by Paul Coulter
Modern, scientific medicine has been a wonderful gift to mankind. Yet it is in danger of forgetting the art of medicine, which is vital for the well-being of both healthcare professionals and those they care for. Setting out the case for an integrative approach to healthcare Serving Two Masters? argues for a thoroughly scientific, yet faith-filled approach to clinical care. Dealing with common misconceptions about the relationship between faith and science, Paul Coulter argues that the Christian worldview is an excellent foundation for healthcare.
For more information and to buy your copy, visit the publisher's website.
Read what others say about this book
Outstanding. An accessible but profound book that digs deep into questions of science, faith, personhood and the practice of healthcare. Arguing for an integrative approach between scientific evidence and a therapeutic relationship for the good of patients, Paul Coulter argues powerfully for the place that Christian faith, ethics and wisdom can and should play within such an approach. I highly recommend it to anyone working in healthcare, students studying in healthcare subjects, and pastors seeking to support and care for healthcare professionals. - Marcus Honeysett, Executive Director of Living Leadership and author of Meltdown: Making Sense of a Culture in Crisis
This is a clear, concise, coherent, and critical exploration of the interaction between science and faith in medical practice. Paul Coulter skilfully integrates knowledge, understanding and wisdom from medicine, science, theology and philosophy as he explains concepts, challenges myths, and constructs arguments. The result is a valuable resource for all Christians who are navigating the contemporary challenges of delivering healthcare. Dr Keith Gardiner MD, Postgraduate Medical Dean for Northern Ireland, 2012-202
Paul Coulter has considered the position of faith in healthcare with care and consideration and has been clear without being dogmatic. The book is intended for students and practitioners alike in medicine, nursing and allied health professions. I cannot recommend it highly enough. - Dr Werner J McIlwaine MD, Retired Physician and Diabetologist and Catalyst Team Leader Northern Ireland
Paul Coulter has written a terrific little book that I wish had been available to me as a student or junior doctor. It’s a distillation of years of study in multiple fields (theology, ethics, science, epistemology, culture and medicine!) presented with admirable clarity and applied to the art of medical practice. As a brilliant primer in worldview thinking and understanding our cultural moment, I hope it isn’t read just by medics (though they are the primary target), but reaches a much wider audience. This is exactly the sort of book that is so necessary for helping all Christians to think about their vocation in a God-centred manner that enables them to live wholeheartedly for Christ, wherever He has called them to be. I can’t commend it highly enough. - Dr Mark Stirling, Former GP and pastor, Lecturer in Ethics and NT at Highland Theological College and Director of the Chalmers Institute
Paul Coulter brings together his scientific training, medical experience, understanding of contemporary culture and a sharp theological mind to address the relationship between faith and science and its implications for medical practice in the post-Christian secular west. In six short well-argued chapters, drawing on philosophy, history, medical science and Scripture, he contends that there is no real conflict between science and religion, that medicine is an art that embraces but is not limited to the insights of science, that healthcare cannot avoid questions of worldview and that the practice of medicine cannot be divorced from considerations of faith. - Dr Peter Saunders, CEO International Christian Medical and Dental Assocation