Leading God's People: Wisdom from the Early Church for Today Paperback – April 3, 2012

Had to buy this book for class. It was very helpful and surprisingly very easy reading!

Challenging while also a great historical overview of leadership understanding through the years

Christopher A. Beeley is the Walter H. Gray Professor of Anglican Studies and Patristics at Yale Divinity School and Berkeley Divinity School at Yale. An Episcopal priest with full-time parish experience, he has also authored Gregory of Nazianzus on the Trinity and the Knowledge of God.Noting the importance and benefits of "vital, strong" pastoral leadership (viii, xi), Beeley aims "to present in a fresh and accessible way the key principles of church leadership as they were taught by some of the great theologians of the early church" (viii-ix). Further, his compact, 128-page work aims to "make newly available the great depth and richness of early Christian reflection on church leadership...to strengthen the church in all of its contemporary forms" (ix).In five brief sections, Beeley presents an amalgam of applicable reflections from Gregory of Nazianzus, Ambrose, Augustine, St. John Chrysostom, Pope Gregory I, and other fathers chiefly in the 4th century and shortly beyond--tying their work together under the five banners of "The Leadership of the Church," "Spirituality for Leadership," "The Cure of Souls," "Scripture and Theology," and "The Ministry of the Word."Summarizing the thoughts of fathers who wrote extensively on these and other topics, Beeley concurs and asserts the main goal of pastoral ministry is to "lead people to God in Christ" (54) and "build up the church into full maturity" in Christ and His love (cf. 42, 120, 128; 1 Tim. 1:5). Indeed, he argues, "Everywhere we turn, we will find people in need of spiritual guidance to draw them closer to Christ, and the focus of church leadership is to provide that guidance" (55).The author does well to continually stress the sine qua non of effective church leadership: ordained and lay leaders alike being humbly grounded in the Word of God. Beeley rightly argues, "Church leaders do not maintain a spirit of holiness by undertaking a self-motivated program of moral improvement; they grow in Christ by dwelling regularly in the spiritual depths of scripture" (96). And again, "no amount of professing that [preachers] want to entrust our ministry to God...can take the place of serious and focused theological study" (102). Beeley asserts that, in keeping with the example of the early Church fathers he surveys, a disciplined study of Scripture and "classic Christian sources," along with repentant humility and a regular and deep prayer life, still promises to make contemporary ministry leaders "surprisingly strong and effective" (103).Of particular strength are Beeley's reflections on "The Cure of Souls" (pp. 54-76), hearkening back to Gregory of Nazianzen's famous description of pastoral ministry. To this end, Beeley does especially well to link preaching and teaching with the cure of souls (109-120); heavily citing Augustine, he builds up the Office of the Holy Ministry and implicitly refutes those who assert the proclamation of the Word to be of little or no "practical" benefit in our life together.What Beeley loses by means of his occasional haphazard brevity--presumably out of a desire to keep his work "fresh and accessible" (viii)--he gains by means of his continual refrain of the Word of God in Christ being critical for effective ministry, and his thoroughgoing emphasis on the building up of the Church through that Word as the overarching goal of church leadership.Beeley capably systematizes and summarizes numerous authors and theological works while providing ample footnotes and citations for readers desiring to go deeper, and thereby achieves his goal of offering a "fresh and accessible" examination of God's wisdom expressed through the early Church fathers. In sum, Beeley offers a blessed and comparably quick read especially suitable for pastors, bishops, lay leaders, and seminarians thirsting for inspiring insights on church leadership, but not longing to drink from today's banal fount of baptized business books.

I was preparing for my ordination exams and for a lifetime of ministry when I was able to study under Beeley and use this book as a grounding work of the course. I have to say, the book by itself is phenomenal and really gives an insight into the methodology that Beeley used in his teaching. I honestly am not sure that I would have been able to go into ministry had I not read this book first.

Great book. Clear illustrations beautifly written. It held my attention better than most well written novels!Rev. Patricia Longacre LCSW

Excellent book. Gives a great historical background to those involved in hands on ministry. Lots to think about and surely much to hold oneself accountable.

Very easy reading. Very informative.

Christopher Beeley draws from the insight of the early church fathers to provide thoughtful, convicting, inspiring insight about church leadership today. I read it in a class led by the author and have since asked by ministry team to read as a basis for our training this fall.