Soul Work for Better Leadership
A book I read recently brought the importance of this intentionality into focus for me. Ruth Haley Barton’s Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership: Seeking God in the Crucible of Ministry reminds ministry leaders that we need to take time in solitude to nourish our very souls. She essentially is cautioning leaders with a play on Jesus’ warrant - what good is it to lose your own soul for the sake of ministry leadership. She even offers a course on this very topic at Seminary Now.
I want to be honest here and remind us that we need to go into this kind of practice - where you may be invited to close your eyes - with eyes wide open. When we intentionally shut off all the noise and clear away all distractions it can be scary and unsettling initially to see, hear, and feel what is just under the surface.
Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership: Seeking God in the Crucible of Ministry
"I'm tired of helping others enjoy God—I just want to enjoy God for myself."
With this painful admission, Ruth Haley Barton invites spiritual leaders into an honest exploration of what happens when they lose track of their souls. Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership weaves together contemporary illustrations with penetrating insights from the life of Moses to help ministry leaders care for their own souls so that they may in turn minister well to others.
Explore topics including:
responding to the dynamics of calling
facing the loneliness of leadership
leading from your authentic self
cultivating spiritual community
discerning God's will together
Each chapter includes a spiritual practice to ensure your soul gets the nourishment it needs. Barton shows that forging and maintaining a life-giving connection with God is the best choice you can make for yourself and for those you lead.
Course: Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership with Ruth Haley Barton
Ruth Haley Barton explores the soul and the cost of losing it in the course of ministry. For a free preview of her course, visit seminarynow.com Ruth Haley Barton invites us to an honest exploration of what happens when spiritual leaders lose track of their souls. Weaving together contemporary illustrations with penetrating insight from the life of Moses, this course explores topics such as:
embarking on a leader’s journey into solitude and silence
responding to the dynamics of calling
facing the loneliness of leadership
leading from your authentic self
cultivating spiritual community at the leadership level
re-envisioning the promised land
Each session includes guidance in spiritual practices that help you forge and maintain a life-giving connection with God because the best thing you bring to leadership is your own transforming self.
May this summer be a chance to step away from the busyness and rediscover your own soul—and the One who knit it together.