Leadership today is no easy task. Christian leaders face pitfalls on every side, whether tensions from within the community or pressures from without. Those called to shepherd others get caught in power struggles and are tempted to abuse their pastoral authority. Pastors may rely on their own professional abilities and training rather than depend on God. Too often our models of leadership are shaped more by culture than by Christ, as we employ methods of ministry incompatible with true servanthood.

But there is hope. Lifelong pastor and renowned biblical expositor John Stott directs contemporary church leaders to the most influential leader of the early church--the apostle Paul. Unpacking the opening chapters of Paul's first epistle to the church in Corinth, Stott recovers a vision for biblical leadership, one that exemplifies the pastoral role in the midst of a troubled culture.

Pastors and church leaders will be encouraged by this stirring affirmation of the call to Christian leadership. Above all, Stott reassures us that God is at work even in the midst of our human weakness. While some of us may plant and others of us may water, ultimately it is God who brings the growth.