Reviewing Paul Chappell's Leaders Who Make a Difference: Leadership Lessons from Three Great Bible Leaders

Leaders Who Make a Difference attracted me for three reasons:

1. I enjoy reading biographies of biblical figures.

2. I desire to be a leader who makes a difference for the glory of God.

3. It was a free download on Amazon. :-)

In his book, Pastor Paul W. Chappell looks at the lives of three men from the Old Testament:

1. Joshua: A leader who had vision

2. Nehemiah: A leader who brought revival

3. Joseph: A leader who finished well

Leaders Who Make a Difference contains nine chapters as well as a short introduction and conclusion. Chapters 1-3 focus on Joshua and are entitled Vision is Developed through Preparation, Vision is Mobilized through a Plan, and Vision is Realized through Provision. Chapters 4-6 are about Nehemiah and are entitled Revival is Initiated by Supplication, Revival is Possible through Synergy, and Revival is Continued through Stamina. That last three chapters of Leaders Who Make a Difference center on one of my Old Testament heroes, Joseph. These final chapters are called Finishing Well Begins with Faith, Finishing Well is Accomplished through Faithfulness, and Finishing Well Requires Forgiveness.

It is important to note that Pastor Chappell started the West Coast Baptist College in Lancaster, California, and he pastors one of the largest Baptist churches in America. West Coast Baptist College is unashamedly unaccredited and uses only the King James Bible. All of the verses in Leaders Who Make a Difference are KJV so a few of the verses might be slightly challenging to understand for those who are not familiar with the English spoken 400 years ago. I wasn't aware of Pastor Chappell's background when I started reading his book, and as I progressed through his book I could see I have some secondary theological differences from him. As a Reformed Baptist, some of my understandings of God's sovereignty, sin, suffering, and supplication differ from Pastor Chappell, and this stood out to me in his statements throughout his book. Because of these differences, I don't intend to read his books again; however, I strongly believe Pastor Chappell has blessed many people and will continue to do so.