A Work of Heart: Understanding How God Shapes Spiritual Leaders - Hardcover

by Reggie McNeal (Author)

Revised and updated edition of the classic work on spiritual leadership

In A Work of Heart, bestselling author and missional expert Reggie McNeal helps leaders reflect on the ways in which God is shaping them by letting us see God at work in the lives of four quintessential biblical leaders: Moses, David, Jesus, and Paul. McNeal identifies the formative influences upon these leaders, which he sees as God's ways of working in their lives: the same influences at work today forming leaders for ministry in our times. He explores the shaping influence of culture, call, community, conflict, and the commonplace.

• Offers guidance for church leaders to let God shape their hearts from the inside out
• Reggie McNeal is the author of the bestselling book Missional Renaissance
• Gives reassurance for maintaining perspective while doing the demanding work of ministry

The book includes illustrative stories of contemporary leaders opening their hearts to God's guidance.

Front Jacket

. . . Many women and men provide real spiritual leadership. These leaders are masterpieces in too short a supply. They are genuine works of heart. They don't develop overnight, though it might seem they appear 'out of nowhere.' They always come from somewhere--the heart of God. They are carefully crafted, faithfully shaped.
--From the Preface

In this updated edition of his bestselling book A Work of Heart, Reggie McNeal proposes that effective spiritual leaders must become experts in matters of the heart--particularly their own. Keeping 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 the book's key 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.

Back Jacket

" ... Many women and men provide real spiritual leadership. These leaders are masterpieces in too short a supply. They are genuine works of heart. They don't develop overnight, though it might seem they appear 'out of nowhere.' They always come from somewhere--the heart of God. They are carefully crafted, faithfully shaped."
--FROM THE PREFACE

In this updated edition of his bestselling book A Work of Heart, Reggie McNeal proposes that effective spiritual leaders must become experts in matters of the heart--particularly their own. Keeping 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 the book's key 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.

Leadership # Network^(R)

Leadership Network, a division of OneHundredX, seeks to accelerate the impact of 100X leaders. Since 1996, Leadership Network Publications has presented thoroughly researched and practical concepts from leading thinkers, practitioners, and pioneering churches. www.leadnet.org

Author Biography

REGGIE MCNEAL is the missional leadership specialist for Leadership Network. Drawing on twenty years of leadership roles in local congregations and his work over the last two decades with thousands of clergy and church leaders, McNeal counsels local churches, denominational groups, seminaries and colleges, and parachurch organizations in their leadership development needs.