NORTH GREENVILLE UNIVERSITY Graduate School of Christian Ministry DM 7050 Christian Leadership G. Richard Blackaby, PhD Larry S. McDonald, DMin, PhD President of Blackaby Ministries International Dean and Director of Doctor of Visiting Professor of Christian Leadership Ministry Studies Professor of Christian Spirituality I. Course Description: The objective of this course is to help the Christian leader examine the biblical and theological basis and nature of leadership, to understand leadership theory, and develop the skills necessary for effective leadership in the church. Group dynamics, principles of change, planning, organizational development, and other concepts are considered. Varieties of learning experiences related to the Christian leader s current ministerial situation are provided. (4 semester hours) II. Co-requisite Course: This course is a co-requisite with DM 7051 Applied Ministry Experience in Christian Leadership. III. Course Objectives: The student who successfully completes this course will be able to: Appraise Christian leadership books as well as secular ones to highlight the best practices and outcomes in leadership. Examine biblical teachings on leadership and compare/contrast it to their own leadership style. Evaluate their personal walk with God in the context of leadership in order to lead at a higher level. Reflect on their current leadership skills in light of previous leadership challenges. IV. Course Texts: Required Text: All students must read the required book. Blackaby, Henry and Richard Blackaby. Spiritual Leadership: Moving People on to God s Agenda, revised and expanded. Nashville: B and H, 2011. Pp. 373.
Additional Reading: Students should complete a total of 2,000 pages of reading, including the required text, by the beginning of the seminar. This total should include at least one text from each of the following categories. Read at Least One of the Following on Spiritual Leadership: Getz, Gene. The Measure of a Man: Twenty Attributes of a Godly Man, rev. ed. Ventura, CA: Regal, 2004. Iorg, Jeff. The Character of Leadership: Nine Qualities that Define Great Leaders. Nashville: B & H, 2009. Lorrits, Crawford W. Leadership as an Identity: The Four Traits of Those Who Wield Lasting Influence. Chicago: Moody, 2009. Stowell, Joseph. Redefining Leadership: Character-Driven Habits of Effective Leaders. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Press, 2014. Mohler, Albert. The Conviction to Lead: 25 Principles for Leadership that Matters. Grand Rapids: Bethany, 2012. Read at Least One of the Following on Secular Leadership: Bossidy, Larry and Ram Charan. Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done. New York: Crown Business, 2002. Collins, Jim. Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don t. New York: Harper Collins, 2011. Covey, Stephen R. The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, rev. ed. New York: Free Press, 2004. Drucker, Peter. The Effective Executive: The Definitive Guide to Getting the Right Things Done, rev. ed. New York: HarperCollins, 2006. Godin, Seth. Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us. New York: Portfolio, 2008. Kotter, John B. Leading Change. Boston: Harvard Business School Press, 1996. Kouzes, James M. and Barry Z. Posner. The Leadership Challenge: How to Make Extraordinary Things Happen in Organizations, 5 th ed. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2012. Sandberg, Sheryl. Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2014.
Szollose, Brad. Liquid Leadership: From Woodstock to Wikipedia Multigenerational Management Ideas That Are Changing the Way We Run Things. Austin, TX. Greenleaf Book Group Press, 2011. Read at Least One of the Following on Working with People: Conant, Douglas and Mette Norgaard. Touchpoints: Creating Powerful Leadership Connections in the Smallest Moments. San Francisco: Jessey Bass, 2011. Cloud, Henry. Necessary Endings: The Employees, Businesses, and Relationships that All of Us Have to Give Up In Order to Move Forward. New York: Harper Collins, 2010. Pue, Carson. Mentoring Leaders: Wisdom for Developing Character, Calling, and Competency. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2005. Jinkins, Michael and Jinkins, Deborah. The Character of Leadership: Political Realism and Public Virtue in Nonprofit Organizations. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1998. Wiseman, Liz with Greg McKeown. Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter. New York: Harper Business, 2010. Patterson, Grenny, McMillan, and Switzler. Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High. New York: McGraw Hill, 2012. Read at Least One of the Following on Leadership Growth: Blackaby, Henry and Blackaby, Richard. Called to Be God s Leader: Lessons from the Life of Joshua. Nashville: B and H Publishing Group, 2004. Blackaby, Richard. The Seasons of God: How the Shifting Patterns of Your Life Reveal His Purposes for You. Colorado Springs: Multnomah Books, 2012. Hull, Bill. The Christian Leader: Rehabilitating Our Addiction to Secular Leadership. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2016. Finzel, Hans. The Top Ten Mistakes Leaders Make. Colorado Springs: David C. Cook, 2007. Lemov, Doug, Erica Woolway, and Katie Yezzi. Practice Perfect: 42 Rules for Getting Better at Getting Better. Hoboken, NJ: Jossey-Bass, 2012.
McIntosh, Gary L., and Rima, Samuel D. The Dark Side of Leadership: The Paradox of Personal Dysfunction. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1997. McNeal, Reggie. A Work of Heart: Understanding How God Shapes Spiritual Leaders. Jossey-Bass, 2000. Willard, Dallas. Renovation of the Heart: Putting On the Character of Christ. Colorado Springs: NavPress, 2002. Read at Least One of the Following Leadership Biographies: Drummond, Lewis. Spurgeon: Prince of Preachers. Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 1992. Goodwin, Doris Kearns. Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2005. Metaxis, Eric. Amazing Grace: William Wilberforce and the Heroic Campaign to End Slavery. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 2007. Myra, Harold and Shelly Marshall. The Leadership Secrets of Billy Graham. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2005. Owens, Ron. Ron Dunn: His Life and Mission. Nashville: B & H Publishing Group, 2013. Peterson, Eugene H. The Pastor: A Memoir. New York: HarperOne, 2011. Pollock, John. Moody: A Biography. Grand Rapids, Baker Books, 1963; reprint 1985. Skinner, Betty L. Daws: A Man Who Trusted God, The Inspiring Life and Compelling Faith of Dawson Trotman, Founder of The Navigators, reissue edition. Colorado Springs: NavPress, 1998. Steer, Roger. Basic Christian: The Inside Story of John Stott. Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 2010. Turner, John G. Bill Bright and Campus Crusade for Christ: The Renewal of Evangelicalism in Postwar America. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press, 2008.
V. Course Requirements: Pre-seminar Assignments: 1. Book Critique Select one of the books that is included on the additional reading list and write a five-page critique following guidelines to be given later. Contact Dr. McDonald (larry.mcdonald@ngu.edu) with your top three book choices as only one student may review a book. He will notify you which book has been assigned to you. 2. Produce a two-page summary of your analysis of a Scripture that focuses on leadership. Be prepared to present your findings in class. Highlight the leadership lessons, both positive and negative, that can be drawn from the text. Choose from the following texts. Only one student can use each passage. Choose from the following and notify Dr. McDonald (larry.mcdonald@ngu.edu): 1. Nehemiah 4 2. 2 Chronicles 32:1-8 3. 2 Samuel 15:13-37; 18:1-8 4. John 17:1-19 5. Matthew 17:14-21 6. Joshua 7 7. Joshua 8 8. 1 Samuel 30 9. 2 Kings 19:1-21 10. 1 Chronicles 22 11. 1 Samuel 26:1-12 12. 2 Samuel 5:17-25 13. 2 Samuel 21:15-22 3. Research Paper Prepare a 20-page paper on one of the topics listed below which should include 20 sources (make sure to utilize academic commentaries as you deal with Scriptural passages). Formatting guidelines will be given later. Each student should come prepared to make a 20-minute presentation including a one-page handout for fellow students outlining the main ideas of the presentation. In addition, bring one hardcopy to give to Dr. Blackaby. Contact Dr. McDonald (larry.mcdonald@ngu.edu) to give him your top three choices. He will notify you which topic has been assigned to you. Focus: How do leaders keep their organization focused on its mission and not on peripheral issues? God s Agenda: How do leaders know what God s agenda is for their organization? How do they move their people on to it and keep them there?
Opposition: How do leaders deal with it? How do you keep yourself from becoming consumed by it? Balance: How can a leader s life be balanced? Should it be? How do leaders attract the best people to work with and stay with them? Finishing well: What must leaders do to ensure they finish well? Dark Sides: Does every leader have a dark side? If so, how do they identify and address it? (See Overcoming the Dark Side of Leadership) Optimism: Is a pessimistic leader a contradiction in terms? As an organization grows, should a leader be doing more or less? How do leaders grow along with their organization? How can leaders keep growing personally and professionally when they are so busy? What is the difference between a bureaucrat (office holder) and a leader? Why are there so many bureaucrats in church, government, and business leadership positions today? How important are results to a leader? Are they everything? Should Christian leaders be concerned with numbers? Develop a theology of numbers. What does the Bible say are the most important qualities of a leader? What does a healthy leadership team look like? How do you get and keep one? What are the biblical qualifications for being a pastor? Do churches follow these guidelines today? Why or why not? What are the signs that it is time for leaders to move on from their current position? How good are leaders at reading these signs? If leadership is a character profession, how do leaders experience character growth when they are in a leadership position? How close should ministers get to their people? Is there a safe distance minsters ought to maintain?
Does the Bible teach a CEO Model of Leadership or a Shepherding Model of Leadership? Are the two models opposites or overlapping? In-class Assignments: Be prepared to participate in-class discussion and be ready to make your presentation following the schedule provided in Course Content. Assignment Due Date: All assignments (except for the final exam) are due Friday, February 24 th by 11:59 p.m. Assignments submitted after this due date will receive a deduction in points. Exceptions to this are only granted due to extreme circumstances and must be approved by the professor. VI. Grading Points Scripture Analysis 200 Book Critique 200 Research Paper and Presentation 400 Final Exam 200 Grade Scale for this Course: 91 to 100 A 81 to 90 B 71 to 80 C 61 to 70 D 60 or below F Total Points 1000 V. Classroom Etiquette Arrive on time for the beginning of class and stay until its completion, unless prior arrangements have been made with the professor. Cell phones, smart phones, and other email devices should be turned off during class (not on vibrate). Students are asked not to take calls during class or leave class to take a call. Calls should be returned only during breaks. It disrupts class when students leave to take messages and is disrespectful to other members and the instructor. When wireless internet access is available, students should not use their computers to surf the internet or check email during class. This can be highly distracting to the class
process. Internet searches should only be conducted as part of the class discussion or process. Every student is expected to participate in group discussions. Students should be sensitive not to talk an inordinate amount of time, dominating the discussion. Business casual is the appropriate dress.