The topic of church leadership is one that is frequently written about. Courses are produced and training manuals compiled based upon the belief that without them the Church could not sustain itself, never mind grow.

Introduction

But in this book, Yung, questions whether scripture teaches, or in any way encourages, leadership training in the Church. His conviction is that the Church has jumped on corporate and academic bandwagons, and unthinkingly adopted their methods.

Yung sets out to critique the various leadership approaches and concepts that are promoted in churches and Christian organisations today. He wants to change the focus onto that of servanthood.

Outline

The central emphasis of his book is that the call to ministry is first and foremost a call to be a servant of Christ. This message occupies the opening chapters of the book, while in the following two chapters the author argues that Jesus’s own authority and ministry was rooted in submission to the Father and dependent upon the power of the Spirit.

The central emphasis of his book is that the call to ministry is first and foremost a call to be a servant of Christ.

The rest of the book considers how this works out in the lives of his followers, with the final chapter advocating that the Kingdom advances through those who are true servants rather than by those who have qualified in leadership training courses.

Expertise

The author has vast experience in many fields. He is bishop emeritus of the Methodist Church in Malaysia and has been involved with various international ministries. His knowledge on the theme of his book comes from both scripture and practical experience.

His teaching from both the Old and New Testaments is well thought through. For instance, he looks at the how God the Father has transformed people in the past, such as Jacob, Joseph, Peter and Paul. But more than this, Yung is also able to critically evaluate current trends and apply a pastoral approach to the needs of a Church often being led in the wrong direction, or at best around in small circles.

Explanation

It should be pointed out that Yung is not against leadership in the Church, just the way it is created and developed, which often produces more problems than benefits. We have come to use the term ‘servant leader’ as though that is what is needed, but this is only half the solution, as the emphasis remains on ‘leader’ (the main noun) with servant hopefully qualifying the type of leadership.

The full solution is to create servants and then see God place them in places of leadership.

The full solution is to create servants and then see God place them in places of leadership. Moreover, if every disciple is trained to serve then they will also accept and respect those who now serve them via leadership roles. This is better than having trained leaders imposed upon them which they are then supposed to follow, often at the expense of following Christ himself.

Conclusion

The final pages contain a useful list of Further Reading, but the book does lack both a general index and a scriptural index. Overall, however, it is well written and easy to read. Yung makes his points well, and the book is just about the right length for its topic and its message.

Leadership or Servanthood? (160pp) is published by Langham Global Library and is available from Eden Christian Books for £12.86 (inc delivery).