What can a Pentecostal bring to leadership that the smartest atheist in town cannot?
This daring question by Dr. Carolyn Tennant reframes everything: leadership that isn't merely clever or current, but Spirit-led, rooted in God's presence, shaped by God's power, and measured by God's mission.
Leading Pentecostally contends that the Church doesn't just need better methods; it needs leaders who shepherd in step with the Holy Spirit, where doctrine and daily decisions meet, and presence matters more than polish.
We've imported corporate playbooks and crowned CEOs where Jesus asked for followers. Programs, platforms, and performance can't replace Spirit-authority, or the Great Commission's call to "go out and make disciple of all men and women."
For decades, pop-culture leadership trends have captivated the Church, promising growth while producing exhaustion. We've counted activity and attendance while neglecting transformation.
But when leaders step into the river that flows from God's throne, when we relinquish control and follow the Spirit, life springs up everywhere.
Are you ready to leave the safety of the shallows, enter the current, and watch the Spirit do what strategies never can, bringing to life everything your leadership touches?
For pastors and lay leaders who suspect there's more than metrics, who long to trade stagecraft for surrender and busyness for boldness, this book is your invitation and your wake-up call. If you want leadership that feels like Jesus, yielded, weighty, and alive in the Spirit, you'll find the language, lenses, and practical applications here to make it real.
You'll especially value:
- A precise answer to the core question: what the Spirit-filled leader offers that natural brilliance can't-authority, guidance, and life from God's presence.
- A Pentecostal praxis as distinctive as Pentecostal theology, where presence delivers infinitely more than performance.
- A courageous critique of CEO-style church models and a Spirit-first alternative aligned with the Great Commission's "go out."
- A vivid "river of life" framework (Rev. 22; Ezek. 47) for discerning God's leadership, plus a way to test results: is everything around you coming alive?
- Practical recalibrations of "success," shifting from numbers and notoriety to Spirit-empowered transformation.
- A call to prioritize prayer, altars, and waiting, making room for the Spirit's boldness, gifts, and fruit.
- For readers who appreciate trusted voices: Dr. Tennant has authored several other works, including Catch the Wind of the Spirit and Keys to the Apostolic and Prophetic.
The river is moving. Will you dip your toe or wade in over your head? Because everything lives where the river runs!
Tennant, Carolyn: - Carolyn Tennant, Ph.D., is a professor emerita at North Central University (Minneapolis, MN), where she served for thirty years as Vice President of Student Life, then Vice President of Academic Affairs, and as a professor. She also serves as a visiting professor in the Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) program at the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary (Evangel University, Springfield, MO). Dr. Tennant has authored several other books, including the popular Catch the Wind of the Spirit: How the 5 Ministry Gifts Can Impact Your Church, and a book co-authored with Dr. Joe Girdler titled Keys to the Apostolic and Prophetic: Embracing the Authentic-Avoiding the Bizarre. Dr. Tennant maintains an active preaching and teaching schedule, having ministered in all fifty states and more than eighty countries to date.
