Book Reviews - 2/8/10

The Leadership Ellipse: Shaping How We Lead By Who We Are, Robert A. Fryling, 2010, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, Ill., ISBN 9780830835386, 221 pages, $17.00, softcover.

A friend of mine said the other day that one of his pet peeves is the proliferation of books on spirituality in which an author seems to assume that the unique and powerful way that God has drawn him or her into renewed relationship with Him is a standard template that every believer should be shoehorned into. I share that sentiment, and it extends also to books about leadership, management, or any of the other aspects of life that are far too complex to be summed up in 200 pages and packaged for quick sale.

With that in mind, I reluctantly picked up The Leadership Ellipse, and was quite surprised by what I found—a book on leadership which not only does not try to force the reader into the latest model but challenges the very assumption that leaders can or should be “formatted” like that.

Fryling builds his controlling metaphor, the ellipse, in contrast to the success-driven “bull's-eye” approach to leadership. A bull’s-eye, he writes, is focused on a single point, with everything else radiating out from it. Such an approach, with “productivity” or “effectiveness” as the target fails the Christian leader miserably, sacrificing spiritual development for outcomes and ultimately resulting in burnout. An ellipse, on the other hand, is a geometric shape centered on two separate foci. In the book’s terminology, the “leadership ellipse” is a balanced approach to ministry with one focus representing our inner, spiritual life and relationship to God, and the other focus representing our outer, organizational, active life.

Fryling addresses both foci, reminding leaders that ignorance of the condition of their hearts and their walk with God hinders the kingdom value of their work. By the same token, he encourages readers to vigorously apply their spiritual lives to the active work of ministry, that rest and meditation are not ends in themselves but God-given respites to replenish our hearts for the work to which He calls us.

The Leadership Ellipse was a good reminder to me of the importance of stepping back to take stock of our work in the Lord’s service and remembering that the Lord called us first as His disciples, then as leaders. Read it, and be refreshed.

Justin Lonas

Target: Pastors/Church leaders
Type: Leadership/Spirituality
Take: Recommended

John, R. C. Sproul, 2009, Reformation Trust Publishing, Lake Mary, Fla., ISBN 9781567691856, 414 pages, $27.00, hardcover.

Theologian R. C. Sproul, founder and chairman of Ligonier Ministries and author of books such as The Holiness of God and Chosen by God, has since 1997 filled the pulpit of St. Andrew’s Chapel in Sanford, Florida. His latest books are collections of expository sermons on books of the Bible compiled in the St. Andrews Expositional Commentary Series. The first work in the series, on Romans, was published in October, and the commentary on John followed in December.

Sproul is noted for taking the complex and powerful truths of Scripture and distilling them into an understandable form without diluting them. This commentary on John carries on that tradition, exploring the book’s key themes with a clear focus on John’s portrayal of Christ as God incarnate.

Whereas many commentaries go extremely deep into the text, mining the precious words of Scripture for hidden gems, Sproul’s John stays closer to the surface. That is not to say that it is shallow, however. His focus is not to further enlighten the serious student, but to “break the bread of life” for a congregation, equipping them to understand and apply the message of the Gospel.

Given the series’ origin and focus, this commentary does not cover much new ground from an exegetical standpoint. What it does bring to the vast family of faithfully exposited discussions of the Word is a well outlined big-picture study of John that any believer can dive into and be blessed by. Pastors, too, may find John and subsequent books in the series helpful as they develop their own expositional sermons to equip their congregations for ministry.

Justin Lonas

Target: All
Type: Commentary
Take: Recommended