In the Name of Jesus
Reflections on Christian Leadership
by Henri J.M. Nouwen
Summary
According to Nouwen, ”The Christian leader of the future is called to be completely irrelevant and to stand in this world with nothing to offer but his or her own vulnerable self.” Nouwen spoke these words to a gathering of clergy, where he taught about Christian leadership through both word and deed.
Nouwen explained that knowing the heart of Jesus is the foundation of Christian leadership—experiencing His love is vital for being able to pass it along to others. Nouwen lifted up the importance of mutual ministry—requiring vulnerability and an openness to receiving help as well as giving it. And Nouwen taught that effective Christian leaders must allow themselves to be led by others, even if this leads them to places they would rather not go.
Beyond mere words, Nouwen illustrated the teachings he was expounding—working alongside Bill, the companion the Daybreak Community provided to assist Nouwen in the work of ministry.
Author’s Website
Invitation to a Journey - By M. Robert Mulholland
Favorite Quotes
“Everyone [at Harvard] was saying that I was doing really well, but something inside was telling me that my success was putting my own soul in danger. I began to ask myself whether my lack of contemplative prayer, my loneliness, and my constantly changing involvement in what seemed most urgent were signs that the Spirit was gradually being suppressed.”
“The leaders of the future will be those who dare to claim their irrelevance in the contemporary world as a divine vocation that allows them to enter into a deep solidarity with the anguish underlying all the glitter of success, and to bring the light of Jesus there.”
“Are the leaders of the future truly men and women of God, people with an ardent desire to dwell in God's presence, to listen to God's voice, to look at God's beauty, to touch God's incarnate Word, and to taste fully God's infinite goodness?”
“Living in a community with very wounded people, I came to see that I had lived most of my life as a tightrope artist trying to walk on a high, thin cable from one tower to the other, al- ways waiting for the applause when I had not fallen off and broken my leg.”
“Laying down your life means making your own faith and doubt, hope and despair, joy and sadness, courage and fear available to others as ways of getting in touch with the Lord of life.”
God's presence is often a hidden presence, a presence that needs to be discovered. The loud, boisterous noises of the world make us deaf to the soft, gentle, and loving voice of God. A Christian leader is called to help people to hear that voice and so be comforted and consoled
Check out other books on my Reading List
