I finished Great Leader: Great Teacher by Gary Bredfeldt. I must say it was an excellent book on leadership. Although the emphasis of the book is in on leadership within the church, many of the points made within the book can be used by any Christian who is in a position of leadership and influence.
Three areas stand out as the strengths of this particular book: the importance of leaders viewing teaching as a critical aspect of leadership, the four paradigms of leadership, and the four basic types of churches. Bredfeldt does an excellent job of tying those three topics that are unique to his book with his view on other leadership issues like priorities, character, commitment, and competencies. The book has a strong foundation of Scripture to support and expand the ideas that are expressed.
The highlight of the book is the stress Dr. Bredfeldt places on the role of teaching in church leadership. His point is that the proper teaching of Scripture is the foundation for all other aspects of leadership. "Biblical leadership is a teaching task." (p. 27) It is the teaching of the Bible that adds the meaning and significance to the leadership provided by the church leader.
How does this translate to the Christian business man, teacher, business owner, etc.? I think Bredfeldt points that out in the chapter More Like Jesus Than Jack (Jack Welch, former leader of GE), in which leaders are challenged to lead by example. If you want to have credibility as a leader and teach others what you believe, then you must live it out in all areas of your life. As people witness how you conduct business, teach, or lead differently than others, you will gain opportunities to teach them why you are a different kind of leader.
This is a great addition to a person's leadership library, especially for those involved in church leadership. Buy it, read it, then teach it to others.
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