Mac Pier, Consequential Leadership: 15 Leaders Fighting for Our Cities, Our Poor, Our Youth and Our Culture. IVP Books, 2012.
Referenced in:
LifeandLeadership.com Summary
Mac Pier laments the fact that we are “in the worst fix since the Depression and the two World Wars.” And the issue is not fundamentally economic, but moral. He says,
This crisis of legitimacy is unlikely to be solved by business or politics-as-usual. It is not a problem that is amenable to money or power. What we need is a moral renaissance rooted in the intersection of faith and action-action that grows out of character, commitment and values.
He finds hope in the lives and ministries of 15 contemporary leaders whose lives are “consequential.” These people believed they could make a difference, and set out to do so. He describes each in a biography, and extracts a key principle embodied by each.
Tim Keller
Key idea: Grace
Key learning and how this translated into his life: Do with your life what will have the most impact. Founding a grace-centered, gospel-centric church-planting movement in New York City was a world-changing choice.
Personal success principle: Understand the compelling message of God’s grace and how it can attract anyone, even in the hardest places.
Luis Palau
Key idea: Festival!
Key learning and how this translated into his life: Bold faith challenges not only individuals and churches but also nations and continents.
Personal success principle: Be an evangelist who proclaims the gospel fearlessly and creatively.
A. R. Barnard
Key idea: Culture
Key learning and how this translated into his life: Understand how Christianity transcends and influences culture.
Personal success principle: Encourage people to live out their God-given calling in the context of culture.
Glenn Smith
Key idea: Shalom
Key learning and how this translated into his life: God desires to bring shalom (peace) to our cities through well-trained and networked urban leaders.
Personal success principle: Strong personal foundations – healthy families, enduring friendships, deep spirituality – are essential for peaceful communities.
Richard Stearns
Key idea: Rescue
Key learning and how this translated into his life: Surrender your skills and training to rescue those closest to God’s heart – the widow and the orphan.
Personal success principle: Be willing to “bet the farm” on God.
Ajith Fernando
Key idea: Suffering
Key learning and how this translated into his life: To identify with the poor through suffering is a way of incarnating the gospel.
Personal success principle: Be willing to cross religious, ethnic, racial and socioeconomic boundaries to reach people.
Frances Hesselbein
Key idea: Sacrifice
Key learning and how this translated into her life: To serve is to live.
Personal success principle: Open doors for emerging leaders and provide new opportunities.
W. Wilson Goode, Sr.
Key idea: Equality
Key learning and how this translated into his life: Understand the grim reality of imprisonment in America and its consequences. Discover that one courageous leader can achieve greater results than anyone predicts.
Personal success principle: Have a vision that is informed by faith. Be determined. Work hard. Be available. Demonstrate humility.
George Gallup, Jr.
Key idea: Belonging
Key learning and how this translated into his life: Belonging comes before believing. Good research serves as a “siren” to society.
Personal success principle: Use good research as the basis for important personal and policy decisions.
Brenda Salter McNeil
Key idea: Reconciliation
Key learning and how this translated into her life: Nothing this side of heaven is like being radically loved by someone racially different. Globalization is happening at a breathtaking pace. We need leaders with the agility to foster reconciliation between diverse communities.
Personal success principle: Be a bridge by building contemporary partnerships with people from diverse cultures.
Alan and Katherine Barnhart
Key idea: Obedience
Key learning and how this translated into their lives: Surrender your resources to God while you are young. Make lifestyle decisions that allow you to be generous.
Personal success principle: Live simply. Be generous. Invest your resources in places where God is at work.
Bob Doll
Key idea: Strategy
Key learning and how this translated into his life: Becoming a credible witness by being the best in your industry.
Personal success principle: Leverage your influence through strategic partnerships and strategic philanthropy.
Jim Mellado and Steve Bell
Key idea: Team
Key learning and how this translated into their lives: The mutual submission of a team can unleash power capable of changing the world.
Personal success principle: Gather smart leaders who have mutual respect for one another and work for a larger global good.
Pier hopes the lives of these 15 will inspire others to make a difference in their own circles of influence.
Publisher’s Description
Are we living in challenging times? Yes. But people can and do make a difference.
Here are the stories of fifteen entrepreneurial leaders doing just that. Drawn from church, business, government and non-profit sectors, these world-class visionaries and activists offer examples that motivate and principles to imitate.
Their stories show that mature networks of leaders and organizations can offer opportunities to a new generation of young people, change communities ravaged by HIV/AIDS, reach new groups of people with the message of hope—and more.
If you see a need and want to contribute your own consequential leadership, this book is for you.
About the Author
Mac Pier is president and founder of the New York City Leadership Center and has hosted a half dozen urban consultations for 10,000 leaders since 1995. He is the author of The Power of a City at Prayer.**For additional information on this resource, including reviews, click the bookstore links. Check the reference at page top or the links below for resource guides on related topics.***
Related Ministry Resources
See Other Ministry Resources on Social Ministry, Social Justice, and Urban Ministry:
See Other Resources on Leadership Development:
See Resources on Over 100 Areas of Christian Ministry: