Lead: A Book Review

Lead by Paul Tripp

Let me say something here, when you find any book by Paul David Tripp, read it.

I have read three of his books so far, and I have added them to the list of books I hope to read once every year. The first I read was What Did You Expect, the second was Money and Sex, and the third, Lead. All of them are biblical, engaging, and refreshing.

Paul Tripp said his books are simply a retelling of Biblical wisdom.

This book, Lead, is supposed to be a book about leadership. To me, it is a book about leadership community rather than leadership itself. And I tell you, a leadership community is as important as the leaders themselves. No matter how gifted, anointed, or passionate a person is, their environment will have a tremendous influence on them. That’s the argument Paul Tripp makes in this book.

He goes further than that to show how a Christian leadership community should be like. Everywhere you go, leaders are treated specially and a shield is created around them. We go around making sweet arguments that elevate our leaders to positions that they are not supposed to occupy. What Paul Tripp is saying is that no matter how great a man of God becomes, he is still a man of God. We easily forget this! Easily.

Under the umbrella of “honour”, we do very horrible things that make our men of God larger than life, unreachable, and ultimately, infallible.

The thing is, the men of God allow this or support it. Paul Tripp’s book is a call to ordinary life. The normal Christian leadership that we see from the Bible. What kind of community should Christian leaders have? What kind of leadership should Christian leaders model? They are all here. With 12 Principles, Paul makes a case for a leadership that will revolutionize everything we know about leading. The incredible thing about these principles is that if applied to units outside the church, they can be as effective. This is why I highly recommend that even those who are not Christians should read it.

This was a book of reflection for me, Paul Tripp asks questions that are piercing at the end of each chapter. I can’t say I loved this book, honestly, it was too convicting. I wish I didn’t have to read it. At the same time, I’m overjoyed that I read it. My life will certainly be different.

Christianity is a call to higher standards and is its leadership. This is a book for all leaders. Every leader should read this. Read it.

I mean it, read it. I’m not joking. Read it.