"The Call to Follow" (Richard Langer and Joanne J. Jung)

TITLE: The Call to Follow
AUTHOR: Richard Langer and Joanne J. Jung
PUBLISHER: Wheaton, IL: Crossway Publishers, 2022, (224 pages).
 

There are many resources on leadership. From seminars by well-known leaders to books written by famous authors, stuff on leadership continues to be highly sought after. In many societies, aspiring to positions of leadership is a badge of honor. Many schools even have special curricula to teach leadership. Training leaders is now a multibillion-dollar industry. In contrast, not much is talked about or taught with regard to the call to follow. Jesus clearly said: "Follow Me." It is a call to discipleship. For authors Richard Langer and Joanne Jung, this is a tough call. Tough because followship cannot hold a candle to the topic of leadership. Many people prefer to lead but few want to follow. Truth is, few are called to lead but we are all called to follow. Langer and Jung back this up with multiple statistics. When they search Amazon to find our books about leadership, the results outnumber followship on a ratio of 400:1. Even those books that teach us the importance of following eventually become another resource about leadership. The authors want this book to speak to all of us, regardless of whether we are in or not in any position of leadership. They then lead us through the steps to obey our calling to follow, more specifically, to follow after Jesus. In Chapter One, the authors call us to distinguish between helpful and harmful teachings of leadership, before turning to the topic of what it means to follow. They define followship as "we follow Christ (deference) through the power of the Spirit and with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength (engagement and zeal) in order to glorify God and build his kingdom (mission ownership)." They help remove layers of myths regarding the call to follow. Comparing "followship stereotype" and "biblical followship," they help set the stage for us to boldly walk the path of discipleship and followship. They point out the significance of followship that should not be undermined. They help us with reasons to learn more about followship. 

• Good followers facilitate good leadership;
• Followship needs to be cultivated and taught;
• Both leaders and followers are accountable for the health of any organization;
• Fight temptations toward seductiveness of power;
• Faithful following is not necessarily inferior to leadership;
• A high view of Membership;
• Following God in the ordinary.

The authors show us how to use "soul rhythms" to observe the practices of ordinary faithfulness. 

My Thoughts
A book on followship? Do we really need to learn how to follow? The book affirms the critical role of learning how to be good followers. This is even more important in a culture infatuated with leadership. In fact, a community of healthy followers will aid the accountability of leaders. When a leader of any organization falls, that does not necessarily mean everybody else is innocent. Due diligence applies not only to leaders but also followers. This and several other thoughts come to mind as I read this book. For anyone who asks me whether they should read this book, I would offer at least three reasons.

First, it is a timely pushback against a culture that glorifies leadership. I am not saying that leadership is not important. What I am saying is that it unwittingly undermines the importance of faithful fellowship. If there are no followers, what good is a leader? Leadership then would be meaningless. Granted that there is a need for good people to lead. However, more often than not, there are many more equally if not more qualified people who never wanted to be leaders in the first place. That said, perhaps learning how to follow is an important training ground to enable the functioning of any organization. If this book could inspire people to take their ordinary memberships seriously, that would have been worth the price of the book.

Secondly, I agree with the authors that followship needs to be taught and learned. There is a tendency for many people to take ordinary membership or anything ordinary for granted. The Bible's teachings are clear. In whatever we do, we ought to do it all for the glory of God. That means character and integrity matters are not limited just to leaders. All who pledge allegiance to Christ need to exhibit exemplary Christlike behaviour. Langer and Jung have helped us to do just that. By shining a light away from leadership focus, we start to observe ordinary life with a greater level of seriousness. By saying that following is essentially relational, we move away from distant concepts to personal connections. I remember Eugene Peterson saying that "Christian Spirituality is about learning to observe the ordinary." With this book, we have a renewed sense of importance that ordinary things should not be taken for granted.

Finally, faithfulness is a key feature of any discipleship. The Bible also teaches us that much is given, much is also expected. While leaders are expected to stand up to the toughest scrutiny, that does not mean the rest of us do not have to abide by the standards of biblical conduct. Regardless of our position in any society, faithfulness is a given. It is not restricted only to those in the upper echelons of leadership. Faithfulness means keeping our eye on God. It means recognizing that God sees us all the same, as people who need God's grace. The authors give us several ways to do just that, the chief way is to know the Word of God and to practice it in humility and truth. We all need to do that, not only leaders. 

This is a powerful book about ordinary discipleship. If Christian leadership is about leading people to know, practice, and honour the will of God, then followship is about holding our leaders accountable to that call, by knowing, practicing and honouring God in our lives. Leaders are accountable. The rest of us are also accountable to God Himself. 

Richard Langer (PhD, University of California, Riverside) is a professor of biblical and theological studies and director of the Office for the Integration of Faith and Learning at Biola University. He is an ordained minister with over twenty years of pastoral experience and a coauthor of Winsome Persuasion and Winsome Conviction. He and his wife, Shari, are members at Fullerton Free Church in Fullerton, California.

Joanne J. Jung (PhD, Fuller Seminary) is a professor of biblical and theological studies and the associate dean of online education and faculty development at the Talbot School of Theology, Biola University. She is the author of Knowing Grace; Character Formation in Online Education; and The Lost Discipline of Conversation. She and her husband, Norman, attend Harvest Community Church in Irvine, California. 

Rating: 4.75 stars of 5.

conrade

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This book has been provided courtesy of Crossway Publishers and NetGalley without requiring a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.