Leadership Mosaic: 5 Leadership Principles for Ministry and Everyday Life
Daniel Montgomery with Jared Kennedy Review by Craig S. Sanders
You should judge this book by its cover. When I received my review copy of Leadership Mosaic, I marveled at artist Don Clark’s illustrations depicting the five leadership principles Sojourn Community Church pastors Daniel Montgomery and Jared Kennedy write about in this book. Fortunately, I was able to take my eyes off it long enough to be awed by the equally fascinating vision between the covers, a call to leadership rooted in the personality of the triune God.
“Our Trinitarian doctrine of God is not a mathematical formula we must solve in order to pass an orthodoxy test,” Montgomery and Kennedy write. “Rather, God — in all his complexity — must be the operating system for our lives and our leadership. Only he can empower us to lead meaningfully in every situation and circumstance.”
To be honest, I don’t have patience for most leadership books, especially those written by leadership “coaches” who’ve never succeeded on the field. But as a Sojourn Midtown member, I’ve seen Montgomery and Kennedy flourish in their ministries by raising up and empowering other leaders. The authors set forth five characteristics that comprise this mosaic: conviction, creativity, courage, collaboration, and contemplation.
While you might be able to glean content from leadership books by skimming or focusing on a few chapters, you’ll miss the big picture of Leadership Mosaic if you don’t read beginning to end. The beauty of the mosaic’s completion in the chapter “The Contemplative Leader” rewards the diligent reader.
In addition to the book’s rich material for church leaders, the website leadershipmosaic.org provides readers access to more resources, including videos for each chapter, a 64-page workbook, and information for leadership coaching cohorts.
Transgender
Vaughan Roberts Review by Andrew J.W. Smith
As part of the Talking Points series from The Good Book Company, Vaughan Roberts explores the biblically clear but practically complex issue of transgenderism from a Christian viewpoint in the concise Transgender. The world is marred by the Fall, leading to confused self-identity and broken relationships, but in the gospel, humanity can hope God’s plan to reform every believer in his image.
Although much of American culture revolves around what Roberts calls the “iWorld” (the decisive story of the individual), Roberts interprets the issue in light of God’s story, the “creation-fall-rescue” program of redemption and renewal. Roberts distills the many confusing aspects of a difficult issue into a brief and powerful 75-page treatment. An especially helpful list of suggested books for further research is included at the end of the book.
Marriage and the Mystery of the Gospel
Ray Ortlund Review by Annie Corser
In Marriage and the Mystery of the Gospel, Ray Ortlund unfolds the purpose and theme of marriage, diving into a deep discussion of the biblical theology of marriage in less than 120 pages. Beginning with a strong exposition of Genesis 1–3, Ortlund reveals God’s purpose for marriage throughout the Old and New Testaments.
“The whole of cosmic reality exists as the venue for the eternal honeymoon for the perfect husband with his perfect bride in marital bliss forever and ever. This is the breathtaking claim of the Bible,” Ortlund writes. “Human marriage has always been intended by God to serve as a prophetic whisper of the eternal marriage.”
The application for Christians today is that marriage is not the ultimate end in this life; marriage, ultimately, points to the eternal unity of Christ and his bride, the church.
Do More Better: A Practical Guide to Productivity
Tim Challies Review By Sean W. Corser
In our fast-paced world, the stress to do more is always tugging for our attention. In Do More Better, author Tim Challies explains a biblical foundation for productivity and provides the resources to help you accomplish it.
Challies warns against the idol of busyness, which he says gives “the illusion of getting things done, but it probably just means that you are directing too little attention in too many directions.” He advises readers instead that it’s better “to dedicate lots of attention to those areas in which you are particularly talented or gifted than it is to dedicate minimal attention to the many areas you are not.” In practical terms, Challies commends productivity tools like Evernote and planning with weekly and daily schedules. Be sure to take advantage of bonus resources on challies.com, which include productivity worksheets and action steps.
