Work of Heart Understanding How God Shapes Spiritual Leaders

No religious leader can thrive without having heart for the job. But in these times of unpredictability-caught up in trying to help others maintain their hearts-few complete their ministries without sometimes neglecting their own spiritual needs. Reggie McNeal proposes that effective spiritual leaders must become experts in matters of the heart-particularly their own. Maintaining heart for the demanding work of ministry hinges on leaders' ability to discern God at work in their own lives, shaping their hearts to embrace the particular ministries to which they are called. This process of finding heart depends on an interactive partnership with God. God introduces the storyline-but the leader's responses affect the development of the drama. To demonstrate these points, McNeal leads readers on an excursion into the heart-shaping drama of four major Biblical leaders: Moses, David, Jesus, and Paul. He identifies the influences God used to shape them: Culture-the times and the environment in which a leader is raised; Call-the leader's personal call by God to mission; Community-the people who shape and sustain the leader; Communion-the leader's personal relationship with God; Conflict-the leader's engagement of destructive forces in life and ministry; and Commonplace-the daily choices of living. Using illustrative stories of contemporary church leaders who opened their hearts to God's guidance, McNeal shows how God is still using these same influences to shape the hearts of religious leaders today. God creates leaders in order to share his heart with his people. Spiritual formation in the life of the leader is not just a private matter. It has impact on the leader's constellation of followers and may extend beyond the leader's own life and lifetime. A Work of Heart is designed to help leaders develop the critical self-understanding they need to fulfill their life assignments from God. Spiritual leaders must become experts in matters of the heart. They must learn to discern God at work in their own lives, shaping their hearts to embrace the particular ministries to which they are called. A Work of Heart shows how God prepares leaders today just as he did in biblical times-and how God creates these leaders in order to share his heart with his people. "It is not just the skills of ministry that are important. The heart-sculpting work of God creates quality ministries. A Work of Heart explains how God is shaping each of us for future service." -Bob Buford, founding chairman, Leadership Network "We've read leadership manuals ad nauseum. We've attended every high-powered conference imaginable. We've bought the T-shirts, the three-ring binders, and all the right soundbites. But if we're honest, we're in serious drift mode, and we know it.... In A Work of Heart, Reggie McNeal has given us nothing less than CPR for the leader's soul, a book that moves us beyond leadership "how-tos" to the lifeline of genuine influence-our own intricate, passionate journey with God." -Sally Morgenthaler, author, Worship Evangelism "Everyone committed to developing leaders must study Reggie McNeal's understandings of heart shaping, and in doing so, will experience their own hearts being sculpted."-Donald O. Clifton, chairman, The Gallup Organization "This is a must-read for present and emerging leaders who desire to balance practical leadership techniques with a heart shaped by God. In typical McNeal fashion, this book makes the connection between the truths of Scripture and the real world the leader lives in."-Tim Schroeder, senior pastor, Trinity Baptist Church, Kelowna, BC, Canada "Don't lose heart! Reggie McNeal helps us look under the hood, at the engine of our lives and leadership-our heart-and shows us what it takes to lead with increasing clarity and confidence and live with greater peace." -Dieter Zander, church planter, San Francisco, CAMcNeal, Reggie is the author of 'Work of Heart Understanding How God Shapes Spiritual Leaders' with ISBN 9780787942885 and ISBN 078794288X.