Not the Same Old Song

When the church plant that Jules and Peggy Glanzer led lost its funding and closed, they didn’t take down the billboard. Positioned alongside a major suburban artery in west Houston, the sign read “Hurting? Lonely? Need Help? Call the People Who Care xxx-xxx-xxxx.” The people who cared were the Glanzers, and the number, their home phone. Over the next few years as Glanzer held many jobs including chauffeuring, they continued their commitment to the Bear Creek community by responding to the calls the billboard generated. A few years later found them planting again in the same area, this time for the Covenant, resulting in one of the founding congregations in what would eventually become the Midsouth Conference.

The Sound of Leadership: Kingdom Notes to Fine Tune Your Life and Influence, by Jules Glanzer, is a concise and thoughtful read by a pastor and leader that arises out of his many years in the church and academy. In addition to planting two congregations, Rev. Dr. Glanzer served as a seminary dean for George Fox and as president of Tabor College. His tenacity and pastoral heart find clear expression in the stories sprinkled throughout, but it is his experience and wisdom, grounded in Scripture and love for the way of Jesus, that will most impact the reader, inviting us to view leadership through a new lens.

The central premise of the book is that one can live and lead in tune with the movement of the Holy Spirit, but that work is nuanced, requiring discernment. In the same way that a musician gives attention to pitch, rhythm, and key signature to create something pleasing and in harmony with other players, good leaders are attentive to those they lead, the season of the church or organization, and the movement of the Spirit. Glanzer’s use of music as the informing metaphor leads to new perspectives on familiar topics. For example, the chapter on teams and expectations is entitled “Harmonizing the Voices,” and finding your style and uniqueness as a leader is called “Playing Your Song.”

Glanzer writes of the value of silence, humility, and the importance of mentors, reminding us that leaders must make difficult and unpopular decisions at times. The more rooted the leader, the better able to withstand the storms that come. In that vein, the book addresses the complexity of leading in today’s society and as such is intensely practical around those realities. The second chapter, “Discerning the Voices,” addresses the hard work of identifying and working with stakeholders who often have paradoxical demands and expectations. Referencing the many voices seeking to influence Pilate as Jesus stood before him, from his own wife to the religious leader to the crowd and his own conscience, Glanzer notes that Pilate discerned and “chose to listen to the crowd.” He adds, “Effective leaders are required to hold in tension the multitude of competing ideas, values, and decisions.” And choose wisely we might add.

His truthfulness about the leader’s experience makes the book particularly compelling. Glanzer writes that “leadership can be life-giving or life-diminishing” and proceeds to outline four different leadership motivations and their outcomes. “Leaders are by nature builders,” Glanzer notes, yet our call is to “seek God’s kingdom rather than build (our) own empire.” He compares and contrasts marketplace leadership and “kingdom-seeking, God-honoring, biblically rooted leadership,” asking what are the differences and do they matter? He highlights transformation of self, team, and organization as the desired outcome that leads to the kingdom being seen here and now.

This book contains wise insight and plenty of help for pastors and leaders in every season. Each chapter includes questions for reflection and discussion to better understand the specific concepts presented. As such, the book is also a great choice for staff or leadership teams to work through together.