Spiritual Leadership, with an emphasis on the word spiritual, is definitely an accurate description for J. Oswald Sanders’ book. He covers popular leadership principles, such as, time management and the importance of developing our talents, but the majority of his points and illustrations are all in reference to spiritual leadership. Sanders introduces each chapter with a scriptural reference, by which he uses to ground his ideas within the chapter, but much of his explanation is rooted in his wealth of experience and/or the experience of other notable figures, such as Charles Spurgeon, A.B. Simpson, A.W. Tozer, and J. Hudson Taylor. Sanders believes that all Christians are leaders and that we should all develop our leadership potential. However, central to this book is the belief that God is the one who calls forth leaders in the church and then subsequently anoints them.

Spiritual leadership is a matter of being chosen, rather than choosing. Spiritual leadership is all about being last, rather than first. A spiritual leader is one that imitates Christ Jesus – the greatest spiritual leader of all. As important as it is for a leader to listen, lead, articulate, and inspire well, what takes precedence over any method or skill is one’s connection to the vine – Jesus Christ.

Consequently, I would not use this book for skill training or a seminar on leadership, but I would recommend this book to anyone discerning a call to ministry. This book does touch on practical areas, such as time, reading, and delegation, but I would not say that this is the best book to read regarding those areas. I would, however, say that this book does a great job grounding leadership in the foundation of Jesus Christ, from whom spiritual leaders are chosen.

I give this book 4 stars out of 5.