Leadership from the Inside Out: Examining the Inner Life of a Healthy Church Leader (Leadership Network Innovation Series)

Just finished Leadership from the Inside Out by Kevin Harney for my next class.What a great read. One of the things I appreciated about this book is that it had very little to do with outward leadership principles. This book dealt strictly with what is beneath the surface of a leader, knowing that what is beneath the surface greatly affects outward leadership. I think there has been a shift in leadership writing (especially in the church) away from leadership principles and understanding what is on the inside of a leader. This is a good thing.Harney said, "Few leaders drop out of ministry because they lack the skills. Instead, too often they lack an examined inner life shaped by the Holy Spirit."Harney covers things like balance, purity, our words, learning, humility, how we see things.These are all topics that pastors deal with. How do you balance ministry and family? How do you live a life of integrity so as to not lose your ministry and family? What do you say to people, do you bless them or put them down?For me, the chapter on balance was a great reminder. It is so easy to put your ministry over your family. Notice I didn't say job, but your ministry. I think a lot of pastors can fall into the trap of providing for their church but not their family when it comes to spiritual things. As a pastor, my first ministry is to my family. If you lose your family or marriage, you lose your ministry, you're done as a pastor. Changes your perspective doesn't it. Because you can lose your ministry and not your family. The best way for a church to be ministered to is to make sure that the pastor is ministering to his family. When that is working and hitting on all cylinders it makes a huge difference in the church. For Katie and I, we have become stricter about family night and date night. It is scheduled and there has to be a great emergency for it get canceled. I expect the leaders at Revolution to do the same thing. I love what I do, wouldn't do anything else with my life, but I love my wife and kids more.One of the best chapters was on boundaries when it comes to your sexuality. It was nice to hear another leader layout boundaries that he has that are similar to mine. I've heard from countless people that my boundaries are too rigid. Here are mine. As we grow at Revolution and continue adding staff, these will be the boundaries put in place for all of our pastors and staff. The stakes are too high. Again, you fail here, that's the ballgame.I think one of the best chapters was on vision. Harney looked at the idea that most talk about vision has to do with looking forward, which is true. But for a vision to be effective, one must also look back, be a student of the past as you move forward. This does not mean that you are hindered by the past or that you can't get past the past but that you understand the past in a way that enables you to be effective in the future.He had some great ways to discern vision and cast it:God's vision will always be bigger than you can manage on your own.God's vision will always cost us more than we think we can give.God's vision will always drive us toward the needs of the world and the hearts of the lost.Here are a couple of other things I highlighted:Wise leaders know how to leverage every relationship as a tool for spiritual growth.The best leaders know that the long journey of faithfulness and effectiveness is well-marked by others who have gone before them. None of us stands high enough to see the future with clarity. We need people in our lives who will stoop to life us onto their spiritual shoulders.Quite possibly my favorite line in the book: "In ministry, every detail has a name attached to it. When you forget a detail, you forget a person." For me, that line was worth the price of the book.Definitely worth checking out and a great book to work through with a leadership team. There are some great discussion questions at the end.

Working my way through this book has been transformative and insightful...a great balance of spot-on theological insight with superb doses of real life experience and insights from fellow travelers. We are using "Leadership...Inside Out" for pastoral networks committed to peer-mentoring. In a day when some pastoral writings abut leadership "feel" like self-exaltation ("look at me and how I do it!"), Harney writes with humility, grace, truth, and honest confession ~ while dealing with real issues every pastor can relate to.

Very good advice on a leader's inner relationship with God, which is necessary for a Godly leader to have before he/she earns the respect of the followers. God first, everything else follows. When the leader is well-connected to the LEADER, he/she then can lead onto God's agenda and plans.

This is a great book that deals directly with key issues facing leaders. With personal examples and wonderful tips, Kevin Harney goes through many facets of the life of a leader. I am in a group of pastors that have all bought the book and we're working through it together, chapter by chapter.

I guess I ordered this too quickly. I thought I was getting a new book and instead got a book with alot of note writing in it.

Harney does a great job here providing both practical and tangible recommendations for leaders who want to serve well for the long haul. Ministry is a marathon, not a sprint and Harney offers personal illustrations and insights from others who have weathered the journey well; a rich resource for leaders young and old who want not only to be effective, but also lasting.

I have significantly benefitted by reading and studying this book. Harney has a unique ability to take complex subject matter and make it downright accessible and absolutely applicable. I highly recommend this book for church leaders - pastoral, staff, and lay leaders.

What an insightful book that calls leaders to look inwards. I have been impressed with each chapter that helps move our group to action and growth.