Saint Peter's Principles: Leadership for Those Who Already Know Their Incompetence

“This is a rich, wonderfully instructive and helpful compendium of wisdom on all aspects of leadership. There is nothing merely theoretical. The principles are applied with the insight and humility of one who embodies the lessons he teaches. The format provides easy access to the material, and the reminder that even our trials due to our incompetence can bring glory to God should encourage us to be ourselves and forget ourselves.”

“This has to be the most unusual combination (in my library) of the theoretical, on the one hand, and the practical, on the other. Maybe that’s why Lillback has moved so steadily through the scholarly ranks of the academic community, and then the day-to-day administrative demands of a seminary president. His analysis of the leadership topic is saturated with Scripture, but he’s also quick to illustrate those truths with pertinent—and often self-effacing—anecdotes.”

“I have never read a book on leadership quite like this one. It manages to play off both Laurence Peter’s famous book, The Peter Principle, and the apostle Peter, with large doses of the doctrine of providence thrown in. It does not elevate a half-dozen leadership ideals and promise triumphalistic success, but begins with our incompetence and provides no fewer than 128 insights—no reductionistic formulas here! Yet precisely because of these anomalies, Peter Lillback’s book is a treasure-house of wisdom to be digested slowly.”

““I guess that my being asked to endorse a book with the subtitle Leadership for Those Who Already Know Their Incompetence may influence your estimation of my endorsement’s value. But if you’ve read past the first sentence, hear me out. I have been privileged to serve in various forms of academic and ecclesiastical leadership for about three decades. I have not attempted to write on leadership, but I have sought to read about, observe, and learn as much as I can about it. Sadly, Lillback_St Peters Principles_typesetting file.indd 1 2/15/19 1:03 PM few books address the issue from the standpoint of a commitment to biblical principles and a Reformed worldview. Happily, this one does. Dr. Lillback is an honored colleague who has led a sister institution with wisdom and fidelity. You and I have much to benefit from the insight and teaching of such a man.”

“In these intriguingly titled pages, Dr. Peter Lillback distills the insights of a lifetime of ministry. The result is a manual that is almost encyclopedic in scope and certain to instruct, challenge, and encourage Christian leaders worldwide. Even more, since authentic spiritual leadership requires character and grace, St. Peter’s Principles contains lessons for everyone.”

“Dr. Lillback has done it once again—he has taken an absolutely critical subject and laid out indispensable, practical, historical lessons to solve problems. His understanding of the Bible, where wisdom resides, makes this an essential guide for anyone trying to avoid The Peter Principle’s incompetence on the road to becoming a foundational St. Peter on which a church, business, charity, government, or other entity can be built. It is so well organized that a potential leader in crisis can turn straight to the section that solves that particular leadership dilemma, get the answer, and head into the next meeting with the needed tools.”

“This is a remarkable book, filled with practical, biblical wisdom. It consists of 128 short lessons in leadership, each supported from the life and teachings of the apostle Peter and illustrated with fascinating anecdotes of both successes and failures experienced by Dr. Lillback in a lifetime of leadership, first as a pastor and then as president of one of the world’s most influential seminaries. Every chapter concludes with Lillback_St Peters Principles_typesetting file.indd 2 2/15/19 1:03 PM a set of challenging questions in the form of ‘Spiritual Exercises’ that will help any reader grow in personal character formation, faith in God, and diligence in prayer. Highly recommended.”

“Once in a while a book emerges that is so profoundly insightful, it must go to the top of the stack. Any Christian leader will discover St. Peter’s Principles to be a sine qua non for integrating the expected results that a leader must achieve with a legacy of godly influence. Dr. Peter Lillback nails the measure of a successful life marked by leadership.”

“To say that Peter Lillback’s book on leadership is an encyclopedia on the art of leadership would be an understatement. It is a whole library on the subject of leadership. In the introduction, I was told that the book should not be read straight through, but I could not put it down. I don’t mean to say that I read it in one sitting. It is too big for that. But it was so fascinating that I wanted to keep reading. Dr. Lillback’s knowledge of Scripture, how to apply it to himself, and how to encourage others to grow in leadership is nothing but amazing. This book, other than the Bible itself, is the one book that all Bible teachers and missionaries should have as their guide in order to be successful in their leadership roles. I pray that God will make it possible for that to happen.”

“I am convinced that the dearth of leadership in the church today is of critical importance. Only the church’s need for spiritual revival has greater urgency. And in many ways, these needs go hand in hand. Dr. Lillback’s book is an excellent primer on equipping godly men to become the leaders that our churches need. Several chapters taken individually, such as ‘Formation of a Leader,’ ‘A Leader Looks at Himself,’ Lillback_St Peters Principles_typesetting file.indd 3 2/15/19 1:03 PM and ‘The Leader’s Role in Development,’ justify the purchase of the book. There are few challenges as great as that of leadership, and I heartily recommend this book to mentor those in leadership positions.”

“Dr. Lillback’s wealth of experience as a pastor, scholar, professor, and seminary president, plus his love for the Bible, has enabled him to write one of the very best, most relevant books on leadership available today”

“Many Christians in leadership are paralyzed from time to time by ‘impostor syndrome,’ the feeling that they are, unbeknownst to those around them, really incompetent. In this book, Peter Lillback shows us that the true ‘impostors’ are the ones who think they are, in fact, competent for the task before them. Lillback is known for his mentorship and equipping of the next generation. This book will enable you to participate in such wise guidance. The hope is that this book will lead you upward to incompetence.”

“Most books on leadership pass along worldly wisdom, but Peter Lillback grounds his teaching firmly in Scripture. He skillfully applies 1 Peter, emphasizing how godly leaders do not manipulate followers but depend on the Holy Spirit. Pride among leaders regularly leads to a fall, so Lillback’s emphasis on humility—his great subtitle is Leadership for Those Who Already Know Their Incompetence—is also welcome. The Christian bottom line: ‘Because the Lord is over us, we don’t lord it over others.’”

““Peter Lillback has given us an astonishing book on Christian leadership. It is deeply rooted in what the Scriptures tell us about the apostle Lillback_St Peters Principles_typesetting file.indd 4 2/15/19 1:03 PM Peter and fleshed out in Peter Lillback’s years of leading others in the ways of Christ, our King. This is a book that every Christian leader should read. You will be profoundly challenged and encouraged, as I have been, by its penetrating insights and practical wisdom.”

““Dr. Peter Lillback, creatively adapting the title from the leadership best seller The Peter Principle (by Dr. Laurence J. Peter), insightfully and faithfully unfolds for us leadership principles recorded by St. Peter in his epistles. The blessing will be unbelievably life-changing leadership insights that were not only recorded by St. Peter through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit but also experienced.”

“In its manuscript form, it was hard for me to lay this book aside. The more I learn how to improve my serving and leading, the more I come to Scripture for the standard. The author has written a primer that pulls the apostle Peter’s principles from the Word of God, and they inspire me to serve, lead, and live well. Dr. Lillback’s stories are personal and poignant, his lists provocative and practical, and his applications powerful and preparing. I needed this decades ago but will use it going forward. I will come back to it time and again. Put this next among your books to read. I’m glad I did.”

“This is the book that I have long been looking for! Dr. Lillback presents us with a clear, biblical view of leadership and combines this with a multitude of wonderfully practical advice and insights. Sound theology and a lifetime of experience go together and make this work a great tool to be used in individual and group study. In an era when the church longs for leaders who wish to be servants, this book comes at the right time.”

“‘Pastor Pete’ exhibits a great deal of wisdom in this wonderfully useful tome. As one who has worked closely with him for over a dozen years, I can attest to the fact that he adheres faithfully to the principles he writes about. St. Peter’s Principles combines keen insights with a sharp eye to the realities of leadership in Pete’s typically lucid writing style. Those who take to heart the ‘St. Peter’s Principles’ he enunciates and grapple with the ‘Spiritual Exercises’ he presents will find themselves enriched, challenged, and wiser for the experience.”

“‘But how??!!’ is a frequent refrain within organizations. We are starving for ‘how-tos’ because means matter in today’s fast-paced, metric-driven world. Yet one can rarely do good unless one (and his team) does various things well. Doing things well requires effective leaders. Peter Lillback’s work targets the foundation, formation, and flourishing necessary for cultivating effective leadership. This fresh, readable, digestible, yet encyclopedic work uniquely exudes deep devotion, diverse practicality, and dependable axioms aimed at real-world impact, yet without the overpromise hype of typical ‘airport business books’ or the mere ‘bottom-line’ pragmatism of stodgy B-school journals. The topics covered range from the aspirational to the awkward, the legal to the legacy, and everything in between. Thoroughly realistic, yet principled, this work now sets the standard for grasping and executing full-orbed leadership, particularly for those who recognize their incompetence.”

“A practical and comprehensive exposition on leadership that is firmly rooted in a biblical worldview, Pete Lillback’s St. Peter’s Principles is a book with transformational potential for leaders at every level of service and every career stage.”