The Spurgeon Fellowship Journal

Book Review
Leading With Love
by Alexander Strauch

1 Corinthians 13:1-2 states, “If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.”

These familiar words from 1 Corinthians convict me when I think about preaching and pastoral ministry. If I work hard at understanding the Bible and speaking it well but lack love, I sound less like Spurgeon and more like a toddler banging metal frying pans. In Leading With Love, Alexander Strauch appeals to the centrality of love in Christian leadership and provides countless practical ways to love –- as shepherds not cymbal-clangers –- those in our care.

In part one, Strauch makes the case that love is indispensable to Christian leadership. As with every section, the reader will find much here to convict his heart and shape his ministry philosophy. Through the exposition of several key texts, Strauch proves true D.L. Moody’s words that “A doctor, a lawyer, may do good work without love, but God’s work cannot be done without love” (p. 8).

One of Strauch’s strengths is his ability to combine sound exposition with specific application. In each chapter he works through one or more passages, extracting the key ideas and connecting them to relevant areas of leadership. He begins with Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 12:31—13:3, explaining that gifted speech, intellectual knowledge, risk-taking faith, extraordinary generosity, and even martyrdom are worthless if divorced from love. People can be wounded and churches destroyed if any of these wonderful gifts are exercised apart from love. This is an essential reminder for those of us who desire to “accurately handle the Word of truth” and are concerned about doctrine within the body of Christ. If “we have not love, [we] are nothing.” Strauch illustrates this through a story of a pastor who repeatedly divided his own congregation until there was no one left but himself. “He had a big head but a little heart. His theology was as clear as ice and twice as cold. Such is the path of one who has knowledge without love” (p. 11).

In another convicting chapter, the crosshairs are aimed at leaders’ motivation. Strauch begins by challenging common motivations:

What motivates you to want to lead and teach people? Desire to help people, a sense of duty, enjoyment of leadership, money, the pleasure of teaching people, peer pressure? For Christian leaders, the primary answer must be love . . . Leadership is to be motivated by a threefold love: Christ’s love for us, our love for Christ, and love for others (p. 27).

Pure motives are difficult to come by, but an honest pastor will acknowledge that he is often driven by something less than love. Through Biblical teaching and the faithful example of missionaries and pastors, the reader learns what his motivations should be. Most importantly, our gaze is directed toward our chief motivator – the love of Christ as demonstrated in His willingness to die on behalf of sinners. Strauch appropriately quotes the famous lyrics of When I Survey the Wondrous Cross, “Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all” (p. 28).

The second part of Leading With Love examines the character and behavior of a loving leader through the grid of the characteristics of love in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7. Long a staple at weddings because of the poetic nature of the words, it is easy to forget that the context of this passage is not romance, but church conflict. Therefore, it is intensely practical instruction on leading the church. Each chapter contains many pointed applications that never brush over issues with generalities. For example, in describing a loving leader who is not joyful over evil, Strauch writes:

They do not delight in juicy gossip nor do they find satisfaction in hearing about the sordid sins and demise of Christian leaders they don’t like. They do not gloat over scandals in a denomination to which they once belonged nor do they take pleasure in the fact that people who left their church have met with misfortune . . . (p. 77).

He closes this section with a moving plea to use Leading With Love as a tool for self-examination – not accusation of others. “How easy it is to see the speck of lovelessness in another’s eye but miss the log of self-centeredness, hypocrisy, and anger in your own eye. Use this book, therefore, to speak to yourself” (p. 88). In other words, this isn’t a book to confront an unloving board or leader in your congregation. Rather, it takes aim at your heart and life because each of us falls short of perfect love.

The third part addresses the works of a loving leader. It includes obvious – but needed – instruction on expressing love through appropriate physical affection and words of appreciation and the importance of hospitality. However, Strauch delves even deeper to address aspects of church leadership that we don’t commonly associate with love. He explains how a loving pastor labors in prayer for his people, feeds them well from the word of God, protects them from false teaching, and even disciplines and restores the wayward sheep.

Church discipline, in particular, is often seen as contrary to love but is actually one of the truest expressions of love. Strauch writes, “If Paul did not love the Corinthians, he would walk away from them and let them flounder in their own cesspool of sin. Instead, he is proactive. He confronts, warns, writes, visits, and even humbles himself before them. Such are the works of ‘genuine love’ in Christian ministry” (p. 154). Perhaps part of the reason church discipline gets a bad rap as unloving is because it is not carried out in loving ways. The author attempts to remedy this by connecting discipline to his earlier exposition of the characteristics of love, explaining how it is always a painful but necessary process which can be carried out with patience, kindness, and compassion.

Perhaps love comes more naturally to some leaders than others. If you are one who takes pleasure in dissecting the original languages and feels at home behind the pages of Calvin’s Institutes of the Christian Religion but dreads calling on someone in your church, this book is for you. But if we are honest, all of us realize that we have room to improve in love. Leading With Love would be an encouraging and helpful read for anyone involved in leadership. You will be glad you read it, and so will those under your care.

Daniel Reinhold, M.Div. student at Western Seminary, serves as Pastoral Apprentice in the college ministry at University Bible Church in Pocatello, Idaho.


	Book Review Leading With Love by Alexander Strauch 1 Corinthians 13:1-2 states, “If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.” These familiar words from 1 Corinthians convict me when I think about preaching and pastoral ministry. If I work hard at understanding the Bible and speaking it well but lack love, I sound less like Spurgeon and more like a toddler banging metal frying pans. In Leading With Love, Alexander Strauch appeals to the centrality of love in Christian leadership and provides countless practical ways to love –- as shepherds not cymbal-clangers –- those in our care. In part one, Strauch makes the case that love is indispensable to Christian leadership. As with every section, the reader will find much here to convict his heart and shape his ministry philosophy. Through the exposition of several key texts, Strauch proves true D.L. Moody’s words that “A doctor, a lawyer, may do good work without love, but God’s work cannot be done without love” (p. 8). One of Strauch’s strengths is his ability to combine sound exposition with specific application. In each chapter he works through one or more passages, extracting the key ideas and connecting them to relevant areas of leadership. He begins with Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 12:31—13:3, explaining that gifted speech, intellectual knowledge, risk-taking faith, extraordinary generosity, and even martyrdom are worthless if divorced from love. People can be wounded and churches destroyed if any of these wonderful gifts are exercised apart from love. This is an essential reminder for those of us who desire to “accurately handle the Word of truth” and are concerned about doctrine within the body of Christ. If “we have not love, [we] are nothing.” Strauch illustrates this through a story of a pastor who repeatedly divided his own congregation until there was no one left but himself. “He had a big head but a little heart. His theology was as clear as ice and twice as cold. Such is the path of one who has knowledge without love” (p. 11). In another convicting chapter, the crosshairs are aimed at leaders’ motivation. Strauch begins by challenging common motivations: What motivates you to want to lead and teach people? Desire to help people, a sense of duty, enjoyment of leadership, money, the pleasure of teaching people, peer pressure? For Christian leaders, the primary answer must be love . . . Leadership is to be motivated by a threefold love: Christ’s love for us, our love for Christ, and love for others (p. 27). Pure motives are difficult to come by, but an honest pastor will acknowledge that he is often driven by something less than love. Through Biblical teaching and the faithful example of missionaries and pastors, the reader learns what his motivations should be. Most importantly, our gaze is directed toward our chief motivator – the love of Christ as demonstrated in His willingness to die on behalf of sinners. Strauch appropriately quotes the famous lyrics of When I Survey the Wondrous Cross, “Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all” (p. 28). The second part of Leading With Love examines the character and behavior of a loving leader through the grid of the characteristics of love in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7. Long a staple at weddings because of the poetic nature of the words, it is easy to forget that the context of this passage is not romance, but church conflict. Therefore, it is intensely practical instruction on leading the church. Each chapter contains many pointed applications that never brush over issues with generalities. For example, in describing a loving leader who is not joyful over evil, Strauch writes: They do not delight in juicy gossip nor do they find satisfaction in hearing about the sordid sins and demise of Christian leaders they don’t like. They do not gloat over scandals in a denomination to which they once belonged nor do they take pleasure in the fact that people who left their church have met with misfortune . . . (p. 77). He closes this section with a moving plea to use Leading With Love as a tool for self-examination – not accusation of others. “How easy it is to see the speck of lovelessness in another’s eye but miss the log of self-centeredness, hypocrisy, and anger in your own eye. Use this book, therefore, to speak to yourself” (p. 88). In other words, this isn’t a book to confront an unloving board or leader in your congregation. Rather, it takes aim at your heart and life because each of us falls short of perfect love. The third part addresses the works of a loving leader. It includes obvious – but needed – instruction on expressing love through appropriate physical affection and words of appreciation and the importance of hospitality. However, Strauch delves even deeper to address aspects of church leadership that we don’t commonly associate with love. He explains how a loving pastor labors in prayer for his people, feeds them well from the word of God, protects them from false teaching, and even disciplines and restores the wayward sheep. Church discipline, in particular, is often seen as contrary to love but is actually one of the truest expressions of love. Strauch writes, “If Paul did not love the Corinthians, he would walk away from them and let them flounder in their own cesspool of sin. Instead, he is proactive. He confronts, warns, writes, visits, and even humbles himself before them. Such are the works of ‘genuine love’ in Christian ministry” (p. 154). Perhaps part of the reason church discipline gets a bad rap as unloving is because it is not carried out in loving ways. The author attempts to remedy this by connecting discipline to his earlier exposition of the characteristics of love, explaining how it is always a painful but necessary process which can be carried out with patience, kindness, and compassion. Perhaps love comes more naturally to some leaders than others. If you are one who takes pleasure in dissecting the original languages and feels at home behind the pages of Calvin’s Institutes of the Christian Religion but dreads calling on someone in your church, this book is for you. But if we are honest, all of us realize that we have room to improve in love. Leading With Love would be an encouraging and helpful read for anyone involved in leadership. You will be glad you read it, and so will those under your care. Daniel Reinhold, M.Div. student at Western Seminary, serves as Pastoral Apprentice in the college ministry at University Bible Church in Pocatello, Idaho.

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