A life-giving corrective (a review by Rev. David Meldrum)

A review of Grab a Towel: Christ-centred servant leaders for the 21st Century by Rev. David Meldrum

I’ve read a lot of Christian and not Christian books about leadership over the years; I’ve heard lots of talks and had lots of conversations on the subject as well. Some of those have been formative; some of them have been a mix of helpful and unhelpful; some of them have been awful. And quite a few of the high-profile Christian leadership input is now being shown to have come from people who had been hiding significant moral failings that, in the end, undid them.

In amongst all this, sometimes the conversation turns (in Christian circles) to the servant leadership – an inescapable centrepiece of Jesus’ modelling of leadership for us. Too often I have found that while much of that input in this area may be theologically correct, it is expressed in ways that repel. I’m left too often with the inescapable feeling that servant-leadership is deeply painful, and when it is we just have to shut up and take it without complaining … and we really mustn’t complain to God at all. It seems we’re expected to accept and embrace a kind of humiliation, stoically toughing out suffering; and so I’ve often lost the good stuff in all this input because I’m so put out by what seems to me to be a kind of neo-muscular Christian leadership.

This book is a life-giving corrective to all this, painting a picture of servant leadership that’s both honest about the difficulties, pain and challenges – but also emotionally truthful about the ups and downs and how we might deal healthily with the suffering that is likely to come our way. The author is based in Cape Town (where I’m also based), and I’ve got to know him a bit over the last year or so – and I know him and the organisation he serves as leader to have a humble, graceful and life-giving presence in the area. He and his ministry often seem to me to model the kind of humble strength that characterises true servant leadership; and while this book is truthful about the struggles, it also presents an inviting vision of the eternal fruit that flows from servant-shaped leadership. It’s in short, easy to read chapters that can easily be slotted in to to devotional practice should you wish; there’s good theology and quotations drawn from a wides range of sources and is not uncritical in doing so (another rare feature in much Christian popular writing).

If you’ve grown a bit weary or cynical of Christian leadership books in recent times, this is a much-needed tonic that refreshes, challenges and needs much thinking on. Whatever your sphere of leadership this is a valuable and important book to draw deep wisdom on. Read it.

See https://www.grabatowel.site/grab-a-towel-books to purchase Grab a Towel.