Servants and Fools

Leadership is a much-discussed topic. What does it actually mean for us as Christians? Does Christian leadership have its own distinctive shape and character? In Servants and Fools, A Biblical Theology of Leadership, Arthur Boers examines Jesus’s pattern of leadership. Boers shows how this pattern is rooted in service and sacrifice, is cautious about power and hierarchies, and prioritizes the vulnerable. In other words, it often reverses what we expect of leadership, and is different from what we read in most leadership literature. Servants and Fools is a unique resource for students and practitioners across denominations. It offers a foundational perspective on leadership and guidance for practical application in the reader’s daily life and ministry.


Arthur Boers has at last written the book we have sorely needed, a book that is destined to become the main text in my seminary courses in church leadership, a book that is sure to be enthusiastically received by thousands of contemporary Christian leaders. Boers energetically underscores the joyful peculiarity of specifically Christian leadership. His book is unique: a biblically based, Christologically grounded defense of leadership in the name of Christ.
--Will Willimon, Professor of the Practice of Christian Ministry, Duke Divinity School, United Methodist Bishop, retired, and author of Pastor: The Theology and Practice of Ordained Leadership

Servants and Fools is a brilliant and essential contribution to any serious study of leadership: Robust, faithful, insightful biblical teaching. A judicious, knowledgeable harvest of the best contributions from leadership theorists and practitioners. Plus humor, in-the-trenches experiences, and practical applications. I cannot imagine ever teaching another class on leadership without assigning and discussing Arthur Boers’s book!
--David W. Gill, Mockler-Phillips Professor of Workplace Theology & Ethics, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary

In Servants and Fools: A Biblical Theology of Leadership, Arthur Boers deconstructs the contemporary cult of “leadership” and serves up a refreshingly Biblical alternative. It is a great cautionary tale for today’s churches, seminaries, and Christian non-profits. At the same time, it offers great insight for secular organizations and leaders as well.
--John Suk, author, former editor of The Banner, and pastor of Lawrence Park Community Church, Toronto, Canada.

One of Hearts & Minds Bookstore's BEST BOOKS OF 2015!

Take what you think about church leadership and turn it upside down. Author Arthur Boers believes that many people who apply secular leadership models to the church have not taken the time to reflect and realize that Christian leadership has its own distinctive shape and character. He suggests we look at leadership as it is lived out in the biblical narrative and we’ll find we should be thinking in reverse. Jesus practiced service and sacrifice, was cautious about power and hierarchies, and prioritized the vulnerable—pretty much the opposite of what we see in secular leadership standards. Servants and Fools is written for students, pastors, staff, and laity—anyone who wants to explore what it really means to be a Christian leader.

Arthur Boers has at last written the book we have sorely needed, a book that is destined to become the main text in my seminary courses in church leadership, a book that is sure to be enthusiastically received by thousands of contemporary Christian leaders. Boers energetically underscores the joyful peculiarity of specifically Christian leadership. His book is unique: a biblically based, Christologically grounded defense of leadership in the name of Christ.
—Will Willimon, Professor of the Practice of Christian Ministry, Duke Divinity School, United Methodist Bishop, retired, and author of Pastor: The Theology and Practice of Ordained Leadership

Servants and Fools is a brilliant and essential contribution to any serious study of leadership: Robust, faithful, insightful biblical teaching. A judicious, knowledgeable harvest of the best contributions from leadership theorists and practitioners. Plus humor, in-the-trenches experiences, and practical applications. I cannot imagine ever teaching another class on leadership without assigning and discussing Arthur Boers’s book!
—David W. Gill, Mockler-Phillips Professor of Workplace Theology & Ethics, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary

In Servants and Fools: A Biblical Theology of Leadership, Arthur Boers deconstructs the contemporary cult of “leadership” and serves up a refreshingly Biblical alternative. It is a great cautionary tale for today’s churches, seminaries, and Christian non-profits. At the same time, it offers great insight for secular organizations and leaders as well.
—John Suk, author, former editor of The Banner, and pastor of Lawrence Park Community Church, Toronto, Canada.