Healthy Leadership for Thriving Organizations - by Justin A Irving (Paperback)

About the Book

Drawing wisdom from the Bible, contemporary leadership theory, and the insights of over two hundred executive leaders, this book helps leaders invest in their own growth and explore what it takes to faithfully and effectively lead in the context of their team and organization.

Book Synopsis

Outreach 2025 Resource of the Year (Leadership)

The devastating effects of toxic work environments are top news. Everyone seems to understand that healthy organizations nurture flourishing individuals and societies--flourishing that Jesus desires for all of us. How can Christian business and ministry leaders create a positive organizational culture and identity?

Justin Irving has spent twenty years studying, teaching, and reflecting on organizational leadership. Drawing wisdom from the Bible, contemporary leadership theory, and the insights of over two hundred executive leaders, Irving provides a theological framework that makes human flourishing the driving motivation for leading organizations well. He helps readers invest in their own growth to become leaders who motivate, inspire, and nurture. But he broadens the view to help readers see how different levels of leadership--the dynamics and interdependence of teams and of the whole organization--work together. He then offers practical insights on building teams, culture, and effective communication and on navigating the storms of crisis and change.

From the Back Cover

How Christian Leaders Can Create a Positive Organizational Culture

Drawing wisdom from the Bible, contemporary leadership theory, and the insights of over two hundred executive leaders, this book helps leaders invest in their own growth and explore what it takes to faithfully and effectively lead in the context of their team and organization.

"Irving is masterful at elaborating all the essentials necessary to cultivate leadership that creates environments where people can flourish. A vital guide for leaders at every level."
--Tami Heim, president and CEO, Christian Leadership Alliance

"An excellent and needed book. I look forward to assigning this book in my own classes on leadership. Highly recommended."
--Nathan A. Finn, executive director, Institute for Transformational Leadership, North Greenville University

"A practical and theologically grounded guide to the kind of leadership our society so sorely needs."
--Katherine Leary Alsdorf, founding director, Redeemer's Center for Faith & Work; former Silicon Valley CEO

"Irving has done us all a great service. This resource has the potential to clear the fog of much that distracts us from the priority of healthy organizational leadership."
--Matthew J. Hall, provost, Biola University

"Whether you are training leaders or establishing a thriving organizational culture, this book is a must-have resource. I highly recommend it."
--Jamaal E. Williams, lead pastor, Sojourn Church Midtown; president, Harbor Network; coauthor of In Church as It Is in Heaven: Cultivating a Multiethnic Kingdom Culture

"This book is a gift to anyone ready to lead or live in a healthier organization. Its practical blend of Scripture, research, and firsthand reports from the front lines provides a recipe for leadership effectiveness and organizational success that should be on every leader's menu."
--Dondi E. Costin, major general, US Air Force (retired)

About the Author

Justin A. Irving (PhD, Regent University) is Duke K. McCall Professor of Christian Leadership and chair of the Department of Leadership and Discipleship at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. He previously served as professor of ministry leadership and director of the DMin program at Bethel Seminary. Irving is the coauthor of Leadership in Christian Perspective with Mark Strauss and contributed to Servant Leadership: Developments in Theory and Research and Practicing Servant Leadership: Developments in Implementation. He has also served as a pastor, worship leader, and homeless shelter chaplain.