Leadership Essentials

Leadership is essential.Maybe you've shied away from leadership because you don't know what it will involve, or you feel too unsure of your own abilities. But your leadership is needed! In every sector of society, from families to businesses to churches, leadership roles remain empty, waiting for people willing and able to step up and make wise decisions that bring positive change. And, in a world with priorities vastly different from Christ's, Christian leaders are especially needed to point people to him.Preparation is essential.As essential as the leadership itself is the preparation beforehand, which is why Greg Ogden, a seasoned leader himself, has created this interactive guide that will give you the tools you need to lead well, using your unique gifts and experience.Divided into four sections, this workbook will help you develop character, postures, vision and skills as you participate in the following elements in each chapter:



- a memory verse

- a Bible study

- a reading

- a leadership exercise

By working through these multiple channels of learning you'll be equipped not just with head knowledge about leadership but with true character formation and awareness of your own abilities that will prepare you for the challenges and choices of leadership.Designed to work well on your own, with a partner or with a group, Leadership Essentials by Greg Ogden and Daniel Meyer is the essential preparation tool for those who would be led and shaped by Christ to lead others with strength and wisdom.



Greg Ogden (DMin, Fuller Theological Seminary) lives out his passion of speaking, teaching, and writing about the disciple-making mission of the church after spending twenty-four years in pastoral ministry. Most recently Greg served as executive pastor of discipleship at Christ Church of Oak Brook in the Chicago western suburbs. From 1998-2002, Greg held the position of director of the Doctor of Ministry program at Fuller Theological Seminary and associate professor of lay equipping and discipleship. Greg is the author of several books such as Unfinished Business, Discipleship Essentials, Transforming Discipleship, Leadership Essentials(with coauthor Daniel Meyer), and The Essential Commandment. He is a partner in the Global Discipleship Initiative (GDI), which trains, coaches, and inspires pastors and Christian leaders to establish indigenous, multiplying, disciplemaking networks, both nationally and internationally. Greg and his wife, Lily, have been married more than forty-five years and have one adult daughter and two grandchildren.



Daniel Meyer is a graduate of Yale University (B.A.), Princeton Theological Seminary (M.Div.) and Fuller Theological Seminary (D.Min.) and has served since 1997 as senior pastor of Christ Church of Oak Brook in Chicago's western suburbs. His weekly messages are broadcast on television, radio and the Internet and are frequently featured on PreachingToday.com.Additionally, Dan serves as on-air host and chairman of LIFE FOCUS, a multiple Emmy Award-winning television newsmagazine aired on PBS and other stations nationwide. He is a member of the Board of Trustees of Fuller Theological Seminary, the Deans Advisory Board of Midwestern University and the Board of the Executives Breakfast Club of Oak Brook.

Introduction: The Art of Multiplying Influence
Part One: The Character of a Leader


1 Holy


Developing a vision of Christlike character


2 Habitual


Cultivating spiritual disciplines to sustain our leadership


3 Humble


Keeping watch over our souls
Part Two: The Posture of a Leader


4 Kneeling


Embracing servant love as our primary model


5 Teaming


Building teams to accomplish our corporate mission


6 Stewarding


Stewarding our gifts, passions and personality
Part Three: The Vision of a Leader


7 The Compelling Christ


Loving passionately the compelling Christ


8 Embracing the Kingdom


Engaging people in mission


9 Helping Others See


Lifting people out of lethargy and inertia
Part Four: The Shaping of a Leader


10 Taming Temptation


Facing the dangers of money, sex and power


11 Conquering Criticism


Handling criticism with humility and fortitude


12 Defeating Dragons


Addressing disappointment, frustration, anger and depression