Leadership Essentials

Leadership Essentials is a great resource for equipping both new and experienced leaders in the Christian Church. The book contains 12 valuable studies on Leadership that are ideal for use in small groups, one on one situations or discipleship triads. Ogden covers four key things related to leadership development: the Character of a Leader, the Posture of a Leader, the Vision of a Leader, and the Shaping of a Leader. There are three studies related to each of the above, and each study contains a core truth, Scripture memory verse, Inductive Bible study, and some relevant reading on the subject of that study. The book is very user friendly, and enables anyone to lead the studies, with a bit of preparation ahead of time. I have used this resource for several years as I have met with men in the setting of discipleship triads (Ogden’s term for groups of three meeting to encourage each other in their Christian walk).

I have found the triad format to be a great way to get to know men elected to leadership in the congregations I have served. We have generally met twice a month, and used Leadership Essentials as a guide for our meetings. Since most of our meetings were at a restaurant for breakfast or over a lunch hour, we found it worked best to split each study into two sessions. So that has meant committing to about a year of meeting in order to cover the material in 24 sessions.

I have seen this tool be used of the Lord to build a strong bond between brothers in Christ as we have talked together about things common to men in leadership in our homes and workplaces, as well as in the congregation. It has helped men to develop their personal devotional lives, given them insight into their spiritual gifts and God given abilities, put before them a Teamwork mentality, and encouraged them in navigating the pitfalls of leadership. The last three chapters are especially relevant in dealing with disillusionment that may set in for those in leadership. The chapter titles of Facing Temptation, Conquering Criticism, and Defeating Discouragement speak for themselves as to why I consider them valuable.

Additional Info:

The format of this resource allows for easy usability in a variety of settings. The topics are extremely relevant and practical in nature. However, it is not just a book written by men about Leadership, but rather each study takes users into the Scriptures to learn Leadership from God’s inspired Word. The studies are well laid out with thought provoking questions that draw participants back into the Scripture text for the answers. The additional readings are a great follow-up of each of the studies.

// REVIEW BY PASTOR LLOYD QUANBECK