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Traditions in Leadership
edited by Richard J. Mouw and Eric O. Jacobsen
“A FEW YEARS AGO a small group of folks in senior administrative positions in Christian organizations got together to talk about leadership topics. We had all read Stephen Covey's Seven Habits bestseller, and one of our number had agreed to prepare a critique. He saw quite a bit of Covey's Mormonism at work in the book, and discussed the ways in which he, as a Lutheran, saw the patterns of leadership quite differently.
The idea for a 'traditions in leadership' project grew out of that discussion. I had read many books on leadership, and had even lectured and written on the subject myself, but I was surprised at how little attention I had given to the ways in which specific theological-spiritual traditions shape the ways in which we understand how to lead. Not long after that discussion I happened upon a historical essay depicting the tensions (several centuries ago and in a European setting) between a Catholic bishop and the abbot of a monastery located within his diocese. Once again I was struck by the differences of leadership style that not only were due to personality differences, but were also shaped by theological-spiritual traditions. In this case, monastic ideals were coming into conflict with those that hold sway in 'magisterial' Catholicism.
With generous funding from the Henry B. Luce Foundation, I was able to assemble a group of persons from various religious traditions: Catholic, Orthodox, Reformed, Mennonite, Pentecostal, Lutheran, Anglican, Latter-day Saints and Conservative Judaism. We met frequently over a period of several years, and our discussions were always highly stimulating....This book represents the first fruits of these explorations, and it is our hope that this conversation will challenge representatives of other communities to think critically about their own leadership traditions.”
from the introduction, Richard J. Mouw
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