The Pastor as Leader – John Currie

John Currie, The Pastor as Leader (Wheaton: Crossway Books, 2024), 220 pp.

Pastoral ministry is a grind. Ask any pastor and he will tell you about long weeks, challenging scenarios, critical congregants, and a plethora of problems that occur on a regular basis. Pastors are often lulled into succumbing to the tyranny of the urgent. As a result, the most important things slide into oblivion. John Currie addresses the unnecessary disconnect between preaching and leadership in pastoral ministry in his book, The Pastor as Leader.

In part one, the author sets forth principles that help establish the groundwork for a strong pastoral ministry. He argues, “Pastoral leadership is the process where, for the glory of God, a man of God, appointed by the Son of God and empowered by the Spirit of God, proclaims the word of God so that the people of God are equipped to move forward into the purposes of God together.” Currie focuses on the pastor’s mission, leadership, being empowered by the Holy Spirit, and showing Christ-like character.

In part two, Currie sets his sights on the practices of God-centered pastors. He explores the importance of prayer, leadership, communicating biblical vision, and biblical strategy.

Since pastors live with an unhealthy disconnect between preaching and leadership, some choose one over the other. The ones who neglect leadership miss out on shepherding opportunities and jettison one of the critical aspects of the ministry. But the ones who neglect leadership fail to take preaching seriously and leave the flock malnourished. The Pastor as Leader helps establish the biblical priorities in a way that both encouraging and motivating. Pastors will be wise to pay close attention to the wealth of information in this timely book.

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review.