New edition of BRF bestseller with nearly 20,000 copies sold
James Lawrence is CPAS's Leadership Principal and Director of the Arrow Leadership Programme. He is an ordained Anglican minister who teaches and writes on issues of leadership and evangelism. He has also written Lost for Words (BRF, 1999), the Growing Leaders course (CPAS, 2006), Mentoring Matters (CPAS, 2011) and Engaging Gen Y (Grove Books, 2012).
From Church of England Newspaper 13 August 2004 This is a superb
book on leadership. It is easily one of the best, if not the best,
book on the subject I have ever read. James Lawrence is the
Director of the Arrow Training Programme run by the Church Pastoral
Aid Society (CPAS). He has also been a core member of Springboard.
He has been meeting and interacting with and helping ministers of
all denominations, but particularly Anglican ones, for many years.
He has great insight and understands what it is like to run a busy
parish or church agency. The book has 12 chapters divided into six
sections. In the first section, Lawrence looks at leadership today.
"One of the chief characteristics of healthy, growing churches is
leadership," he writes. "It isn't the only mark of a healthy
church, but a vital one. "It is with that concern that he then
develops the marks of growing leaders - they know they are chosen,
they discern God's call, they develop Christ-like character, they
cultivate competence (his largest section), and they lead in the
community. Each of these areas are explored in a humble, practical
and scriptural manner. The result is a highly readable, very
challenging, but extremely helpful book, especially for pressurised
leaders. There is a whole chapter on "Living in the Red Zone" which
every minister, Bishop and Archdeacon in the Church of England
ought to read! Why? Because "within churches the character of the
minister is often reflected in the life of the congregation" - and
if the minister is in danger of not coping well, what of the
church? This is a book to own, not borrow. It needs to be read a
chapter at a time with the opportunity to reflect on what Lawrence
is saying, and to wrestle with his arguments, and search scripture
afresh. This is not a book to scan and forget, but a book to enable
you to cope with the future. He writes, "Today I spoke on the phone
with a 37 year-old minister. 'James, I don't know how I am going to
survive. I am working 12 to 14-hour days. I don't see my family
enough, and I feel constantly on the edge of burn-out. I don't feel
trained for the job I do and I don't know where to get help. I'm
wearing so many hats. The church is growing, exciting things are
happening, but if I look down the road of the next 30 years I know
I am not going to make it.' " If you are in this ministers shoes,
with the help of this book, you might! Reviewed by Peter Brierley,
Executive Director, Christian Research
From Christian Herald, 05 June 2004 By coincidence I was reading
this book on a train while travelling to a conference in which the
main theme was training leaders. This is clearly an idea whose time
has come. James Lawrence is to be commended for making this
contribution to the process. Growing Leaders is comprehensive,
accessible and realistic. The book covers a huge amount of ground.
Its six sections deal with issues like defining leadership in the
context of God's choice and call and considering how leaders can be
developed to operate more effectively in their relationship to
others. I appreciated the mix of biblical reflection, personal
anecdote and practical application. This mix helps to keep the book
readable and relevant. Also welcome is the author's honesty
concerning his own struggles and mistakes. The realism of these
sections reminds the reader that failure need not be final, but can
be an opportunity for growth and change. Reviewed by John Woods
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