Hybels, Courageous Leadership

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Bill Hybels, Courageous Leadership. Zondervan, 2002.

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LifeandLeadership.com Summary

Of the making of books on leadership there is no end. Some books in this genre are written by students and scholars of leadership. That should not discredit their work, as some coach and others play, and many coach better than the players would if they coached. But it highlights the distinction between books by observers and those by practitioners. Books by practitioners indeed glean from the best literature, but they do so through the lens of the author’s experience. That does not necessarily make their books better than those from the scholars, as many factors can skew a practitioner’s perspective about their craft. A few, however, have both an undisputed track record of experience and a vast knowledge of the literature on leadership. Bill Hybels is one of those.

Hybels is undeniably one of the most significant leaders in evangelicalism today, as attested by the thousands in his flock at Willow Creek Community Church in suburban Chicago and the 7,000-plus churches in the Willow Creek Association that literally span the globe. Courageous Leadership is his manifesto based on over 30 years of being in the trenches. In what may be his most important book yet, he lets us in on his own leadership secrets. He talks about the same issues found in other leadership books such as vision, getting things done, team-building, resourcing, empowering and developing others, leadership styles, decision-making, self-management and assessment, spirituality, and endurance. The difference, of course, is that he says it Hybels’ style. Just like the famed Willow Creek values statements were copied by so many because Hybels packed more punch into fewer words than most others, so with this book.

Do not read it if you want a soft fireside chat. Expect to be challenged by a bold apologetic that pastors should step up and lead. What’s more is that Hybels is a churchman, and his book is about congregational leadership. He believes churches are the most powerful forces on the planet and that church leaders have the unique opportunity to ignite people’s passions and mobilize their gifts into life-changing and world-altering in-breakings of God’s kingdom. No matter how you are wired on the leader-manager, visionary-realist scale, you will come away with a plethora of useful insights. More importantly, you will feel emboldened and equipped to use everything God has given you to risk it all with the vision God has given you.

From the Publisher

The book you hold resonates with this conviction: that leaders such as you have the potential to be the most influential forces on planet Earth. Yours is the staggering responsibility and the matchless privilege of rallying believers and mobilizing their spiritual gifts in order to help people who are far from God become fully devoted followers of Christ. Life transformation and the eternal destinies of real people depend on the redemptive message entrusted to the local church. Are you willing to do whatever it takes to lead your church effectively so God’s message of hope can change the world? Then this book is for you.

Courageous Leadership is Bill Hybels’ magnum opus, a book far too important to be written before its time. Only now, after nearly thirty years leading his own church from a handful of people with a burning vision into a globe-spanning kingdom force—only after almost three decades of victories and setbacks, of praying hard and risking big—is Hybels ready at last to share the lessons he has learned, and continues to learn, about Christian leadership. Too much is at stake for you not to maximize your spiritual gift of leadership, insists Hybels. In this passionate, powerful book, he unpacks the tools, tasks, and challenges of your calling. You’ll discover the power of vision and how to turn it into action. You’ll gain frontline insights for developing a kingdom dream team, discovering your leadership style, developing other leaders, making decisions, walking with God, embracing change, staying your God-given course, and much, much more. Drawing on his own richly varied life experiences, Hybels fleshes out vital principles with riveting firsthand stories. This is far more than another book on leadership strategies and techniques. You’ll find those topics in here, to be sure. But beyond them, you’ll find the very essence of one of today’s foremost Christian leaders—his fervent commitment to evangelism and discipleship and his zeal to inspire fellow church leaders even as he seeks to keep growing as a leader himself.

If unchurched people matter to you … if you love seeing believers serve passionately with their spiritual gifts … if God’s heartbeat for the church is your heartbeat as well … then this book is a must. Courageous Leadership will convince you to lead with all your might, all your skill, and all your faith. And it will give you the tools to do just that.

About the Author

Bill Hybels (B.A. Trinity College) is the founding and senior pastor of Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois. Willow Creek’s innovative ministries have made it one of the most attended churches in North America. Hybels has authored over 20 books, including, Fit to Be Tied, and Rediscovering Church (with his wife Lynne), Honest to God, Too Busy Not to Pray, and Courageous Leadership.


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