N. Graham Standish, Humble Leadership: Being Radically Open to God’s Guidance and Grace. Alban Institute, 2007.
Referenced in: Biblical and Spiritual Foundations of Leadership
LifeandLeadership.com Summary
Standish is one of the most outstanding writers on Christian leadership today. Among his works is Becoming a Blessed church, which is an excellent integration of spiritual and congregational renewal. In this volume, he defines humble leadership and suggests pathways for entering more fully into this posture. He defines humble leadership.
It is leadership that is radically open to God – in which we lead from faith rather than fear, from a willingness to let God’s will flow through us rather than willfully insisting that our own will be done, from hope rather than cynicism, from love rather than selfishness, and from God’s power rather than our own power. When we lead with an openness to God, we allow God’s power and grace to flow through us. We make prayer and discernment a foundation of our leadership, always seeking first what God wants and then leading others in that direction by inviting them to the same kind of humble prayer and discernment.
He reminds us that if we learn from the lives of Jesus and the apostles, this radical openness to God may be painful. For example, as this may apply to congregational leadership:
I used to believe that if we were ministering and leading properly, the congregations we serve should always be places of peace and harmony. What I’ve learned is that there are some congregations that even the best pastor cannot turn around. Yet God still calls leaders to these churches. And sometimes we are called to be leaders in congregations that don’t want our leadership. If we are open to God’s guidance, we have to be open to the possibility of being sent to these churches. We have to consider the possibility that our being in a place of conflict doesn’t mean that God made a mistake. As the apostles showed, God sends humble leaders to places that may be painful and troubled. But we’re still called. And just like the apostles, we’re called to lead these churches, even if we don’t know what the destination will be.
Standish includes chapters on humble leadership, self-aware leadership, prayerful leadership, unifying leadership, Spirit-led leadership, and humbly effective leadership. The tone and content of this book is healthy. One comes away appreciating the blend of spiritual formation, counseling, and leadership (an integration that is characteristic of Standish’s writings).
From the Publisher
There comes a point at which leaderhsip can break down precisely because of our success as leaders. When confidence turns to pride and arrogance, we lose sight of the people that we have been called to serve and become consumed with following our own vision. Graham Standish offers a way forward that moves us through this paradox by seeking to humbly follow God’s plans rather than our own.
Humble leadership, grounded in the teachings of Jesus, means recognizing that what we have and who we are is a gift from God, and our lives should reflect our gratitude for this gift. It requires us to be radically and creatively open to God’s guidance, grace, and presence in everything. When we lead out of such openness, God’s power and grace flow through us.
The path Standish proposes is not easy. Humble leadership can be personally dangerous, exposing our weakness, powerlessness, fear, and anxiety. Our cultural need for strength infects Christian leaders with a pride that causes them to ignore biblical teachings on humility. But a humble leader says to God, “I’m yours, no matter where you call me to go, what you call me to do, and how you call me to be. I will seek your will and way as I lead others to do the same.”
About the Author
The Rev. N. Graham Standish is pastor of Calvin Presbyterian Church in Zelienople, Pennsylvania. He is the author of three previous books on spirituality and is a therapist, retreat leader, teacher, and an adult adjunct faculty member at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. He holds a Ph.D. in spiritual formation.
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