The Leadership Style of Jesus by Michael Youssef: A Book Review

Youssef, Michael. The Leadership Style of Jesus: 18 Principles to Make a Lasting Impact. Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers, 2025.

It is an undeniable reality that, among Christians, Jesus Christ is considered the greatest leader of all time. After all, what created being could be a better leader than the creator himself? When we read through the gospel accounts, we are confronted with the reality that we are commanded to follow his example in every area of our lives, especially how we lead. It is certainly not novel to find a book on the subject of Jesus' leadership. "Lead: 12 Gospel Principles for Leadership in the Church" by Paul David Tripp is an example of just such a book, one that I recently reviewed. According to Google, a reasonable estimate of the number of books published on the topic of Jesus' leadership in the last 20 years alone is in the hundreds. This raises the question: What does Youssef's book bring to the table that the other books do not? Or perhaps a better question, and the one I will examine here, is: How effectively does this book address the topic of Jesus' leadership?

18 Principles, 5 Parts

Overall, Youssef does a commendable job of outlining some key principles for leadership. He identifies five general categories, including "The qualities of leadership" and "The problems of leadership," which provide the framework for the 18 principles he aims to address. These individual principles encompass aspects such as the need for confirmation by others and the importance of courage, gentleness, and forgiveness. All of which are great, biblical leadership principles. One piece of good advice that particularly stood out to me came in chapter 15. There Youssef writes. "When analyzing criticism, it's helpful to go to a few close, trusted friends for counsel. Say to them, "I have received criticism that I do such-and-such. I wasn't aware that I do that, and I'm struggling to understand if this is an area where I need to change. You know me well, and you've been watching my life. Do you think this criticism is justified?" (p. 161) This advice acknowledges both our fallen nature, that we can and will fail, as well as the reality that we are often blind to our failings. This kind of practical wisdom is sprinkled throughout the book. Things like, "The willingness to acknowledge those who went before is a characteristic of good leadership." (p. 21) And, "I think there are plenty of potential leaders in every group. We just haven't identified them yet." (p. 179). These are essential lessons that every leader needs to learn.

Some Issues

Along with the book's positive aspects, there are also some issues. Some of them are relatively mild, such as the statement in Chapter Three that reads "By 325 AD, Christianity had become the official religion of the Roman Empire" (p. 37). This is a false statement because Christianity did not become the official religion of the Roman Empire until 380 with the Edict of Thessalonica. This could be attributed to a simple error, where Youssef conflates the Council of Nicaea with the Edict of Thessalonica. The issue is that errors like this undermine the credibility of the book as a whole. More concerning are several theological missteps and unclear statements. For example, in chapter 4, Youssef writes, "Instead, he (referring to Jesus) was illustrating that people come ahead of rules and regulations. Jesus put compassion ahead of legalism" (p. 47). This could be interpreted to mean that rules do not matter, and that it is okay to set aside any rule or law for the sake of compassion. It would then be in direct contradiction to Jesus' words in John 14:15, where he says, "If you love me, you will keep my commandments" (ESV). Without clarifying the balance between compassion and obedience, this statement could mislead readers.

Another example of this kind of thing is found in Chapter 5, where Youssef writes, "He (again referring to Jesus) made no great promises to his followers" (p. 53). If that is true, how are we to take passages such as John 6:37 or 15:9-11? Are these not great promises of acceptance and joy? Overlooking this undermines the book’s biblical foundation. Later in the same chapter, Youssef writes, "There is no one verse of Scripture where Jesus tells his followers to be courageous and stand firm for their values and principles" (p. 57). What about John 16:33? In a sense, Youssef is correct in that the verse does not explicitly say to be courageous and stand firm in your values and principles. However, the verse does instruct us to take courage because the Lord has overcome the world.

Perhaps one of the most significant issues I noticed was in chapter 11, where Youssef writes, "Read through the gospels and you'll see that Jesus never blurted, 'I am the Messiah!' In fact, you don't find him even hinting at who he was" (p. 115) This is misleading, as Jesus frequently alluded to his identity (e.g., John 4:26, 8:58), and Youssef himself cites John 10:30, where Jesus’ claim prompted a violent reaction. He says, "His hearers understood exactly what he was saying, and they picked up stones to stone him to death" (p. 15). Many would take this as a direct statement by Jesus about who he is. Such contradictions weaken the book’s authority and could confuse readers seeking a clear understanding of Jesus’ leadership.

Summary

Does Jesus the Leader effectively address Jesus’ leadership? While Youssef offers valuable insights, such as the importance of humility, forgiveness, and seeking counsel, for church leaders, the book’s frequent inaccuracies and unclear theological statements hinder its impact. Historical errors, like the claim about Christianity’s status in 325 AD, and misrepresentations, such as Jesus’ supposed silence about His identity, undermine the book’s reliability. These issues make it difficult to recommend this book to readers seeking a precise, biblically grounded exploration of Jesus’ leadership. Instead, Paul David Tripp’s Lead: 12 Gospel Principles for Leadership in the Church or Albert Mohler’s The Conviction to Lead offer clearer, more rigorous treatments of the subject.

Soli Deo Gloria