Quotes from Spiritual Influence: The Hidden Power Behind Leadership, by Mel Lawrenz (Zondervan, 2012). Hardcover. 212 Pages. ISBN 978-0310492702.
“Spiritual influence means awakening people to the creatures they really are. It is like rousing armies of people who are asleep to a great work they must do.” (p. 47)
“Leaders don’t motivate people by their knowledge of the future, but by their anticipation of what is possible.” (p. 70)
“Curiosity is a particular form of passion, an instinct that says, ‘there is more out there, I know there is. God is on the loose, and if I look with eyes of faith I will be able to see what He wants to do in the world. Every person is interesting in some way.'” (p. 74)
“Speaking into crisis is an extraordinary privilege and a great responsibility. When people’s hearts are torn open, there is a window of opportunity for the right words to plant deep truths.” (p. 107)
“If we start to get ready to deal with crisis when the crisis hits, we’re too late.” (p. 113)
“One of the greatest responsibilities leaders have is to guide people into clearer understandings of reality. To see things the way they really are.” (p. 119)
“Power is the ability to do something: authority is the right to do so.” (p. 140)
“Modeling perseverance is one of the most powerful forms of spiritual influence.” (p. 178)
“It is the plodders who make things happen.” (p. 182)
“The very best leaders accept this paradox and tension: I will commit myself today to something that I will never see completed in my lifetime. But why would I want to commit myself to anything less?” (p. 183)
“Success is not about avoiding or denying failure. It is about building past failure. If ‘success’ means little if any failure then the only way to achieve it is to never try anything new.” (p. 200)
“We are ambitious because God is ambitious. We work because God works. We have a drive toward excellence because God does. We are not satisfied with the status quo because God is not.” (p. 208)
“Skills may give us success, but integrity makes enduring influence possible.” (p. 61) “The only thing worse than worshipping idols is to act like an idol.” (p. 30)
“When people work just to please the boss, the fulfillment never gets any higher than the boss’s imagination. When they work in a way that pleases God, the result can exceed all expectations.” (pp. 172-173)
“If you ask people who has been most influential in their lives…They almost always talk about real people whom they knew personally who poured something directly into their lives. Proximity is the key.” (p. 43)
“One of the greatest responsibilities leaders have is to guide people into clearer understandings of reality. To see things the way they really are…. This is the skill and gift of discernment: clear perception and penetrating insight leading to good judgment.” (p. 119)
“No one really wants to follow you, per se. They really don’t. They want to know that, by following you, they are really following a higher principle, a transcendent truth.” (p. 42)
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WHERE TO GET THE BOOK
Scot McKnight (Jesus Creed) calls it “a missional view of leadership.” Skye Jethani (Senior Editor, Leadership Journal) says “we need help understanding how to lead effective, transformative change in [all our] callings. For that reason I am incredibly grateful for Spiritual Influence by Mel Lawrenz.” Mark Batterson (Pastor, National Community Church, Washington, D.C.) says “it is exciting to think about believers at every level of society rising to a new call to exercise powerful spiritual influence…. Mel Lawrenz has given us all a new baseline for leadership that is personal, wise, and spiritual.”
“If you are in a position of positive influence, if you exercise leadership in any way, your faith in God gives you a power—a hidden power—that will allow you to make an enduring difference in the lives of other people and organizations. But how does that power work?”
So says Mel Lawrenz in this fresh look at leadership which offers practical and biblical guidance to believers who want to have a deep influence and who want to know: What is the proper use of authority and power? Where do good ideas come from? How can we deal with failure? What does God expect of us?
Drawing from more than thirty years of experience in pastoral ministry, Lawrenz writes for Christians in any position of influence. This book provides a new baseline for 21st century Christian leadership, addressing issues such as:
• building integrity
• seizing opportunities
• exploring new horizons
• speaking into crises
• receiving power
• accepting authority
• promoting truth
• managing expectations
• dealing with criticism
Using real-life examples, key Scripture passages, and history, Lawrenz shows that when believers align their responsibility to lead with the teaching of Jesus and the work of God’s Spirit, their spiritual influence will have integrity and enduring effectiveness.
eBook versions: Kindle; Nook; CBD
SPECIAL NOTE: For a limited time you can get a free copy of the DVD “Deepening Your Spiritual Influence” after you purchase the book Spiritual Influence from the online retailer or bookstore of your choice. Details here.
From the Foreword: “Lawrenz gives us hope that the leadership pendulum which has swung from “over- spiritualized” to “de-spiritualized” in recent generations may have finally come to rest where it always belonged—upon Jesus Christ.”
Skye Jethani, Senior Editor, Leadership Journal
Endorsement: “It is exciting to think about believers at every level of society rising to a new call to exercise powerful spiritual influence. In his newest book, Spiritual Influence, Mel Lawrenz has given us all a new baseline for leadership that is personal, wise, and spiritual. It spans the generations and reaches across cultures. Just think what will happen if believers in positions of influence tie into the wisdom and the power that comes from God in order to bring restoration in our broken world!”
Mark Batterson, Lead Pastor, National Community Church in Washington, D.C.
Review: The High Calling
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mel Lawrenz trains an international network of Christian leaders, ministry pioneers, and thought-leaders. He served as senior pastor of Elmbrook Church in Brookfield, Wisconsin, for ten years, having succeeded Stuart Briscoe, and now serves as Elmbrook’s minister at large. He has a Ph.D. in the history of Christian thought (Marquette University) and is on the adjunct faculty of Trinity International University. He is the author or co-author of thirteen books. More at: thebrooknetwork.org and theinfluenceproject.com