by Harold Myra and Marshall Shelley

See this item in the bookstore...

review by David L. McKenna

Thousands of books have been written on the subject of leadership. They can be summed up in the definition of leadership as “character plus vision.” Hundreds of books have been written on the subject of Christian leadership. They can be summed up in the definition of Christian leadership as “character and vision plus the anointing of God.”

The Leadership Secrets of Billy Graham gives personality to this definition of Christian leadership. When, through personal interviews, his friends remember the life and ministry of Billy Graham, they tell of character, vision, and the anointing of God. These three qualities stand out as highlights in the book. Character leads the way. No reader will ever forget the Modesto Manifesto by which Graham and his team chose to discipline their lives. More than that, the authors' comment about leaders giving 50 percent of their time in management of self draws a convicting line of distinction between failure and success in our own roles. Vision is a gift of perception that Billy Graham shares with great quarterbacks who can see the whole field at once and make a pass to a spot where the receiver will come open. A global vision and an intuitive sense of spiritual opportunity have taken Billy into evangelistic ventures in forbidden cities; media ventures into print, television, movie; and space ventures in satellite ministries. But character and vision are nothing without the anointing of God. Each time I read the story of Billy Graham, whether in biography or autobiography, I fixate on the defining moment when he heard Stephen Olford preach on being filled with the Holy Spirit. Billy was convicted and sought the counsel of Olford. Prostrate on the floor, Billy wept and prayed until the moment came when he laughed and praised, “My heart is so flooded with the Holy Spirit….This is the turning in my life….” That night as Billy rose to preach, Stephen Olford said, “…he was a man absolutely anointed.”

When I was interviewed for The Leadership Secrets of Billy Graham, I pressed home the emphasis upon his anointing by the Spirit of God. I have seen him rise like a phoenix bird out of the ashes of errors in judgment, failure, and even despair. But from those moments, I have been awed by the way in which God has protected him, corrected him, and blessed him. Like another David, I heard the Lord God say, “Do not touch my anointed ones; do my prophets no harm.” Every story and anecdote in the book confirms this fundamental truth. Billy Graham is the chosen instrument of God. Read the book with anointing in mind.

The book is not without its faults. Without undue elaboration, let me serve as a loving critic. First, I was turned off by the title. The Leadership Secrets of Billy Graham reminds me of a genre of books with a similar title, led by the bestseller The Leadership Secrets of Attila the Hun. Billy deserves better. Second, while I commend the organization of the chapters showing the progression of leadership, the content within the chapters is uneven and spotty. The authors divide the text into three parts: (a) stories about the leadership of Billy Graham; (b) quotations confirming his leadership from colleagues or friends; and (c) lessons of leadership learned from Billy's experience. As a reader, I prize the stories about the leadership of Billy Graham. They speak for themselves. Quotations from colleagues are predictably positive and the lessons of leadership tend toward a review of popular writing in the field. I wish the authors had found a better way to integrate the quotations and lessons with the strong and simple stories of a true servant-leader. Finally, I didn't expect a “kiss and tell” book on the leadership of Billy Graham, but throughout the text there were hints about his humanity (e.g., temper, indecision) that would have strengthened the book if they had been explored. Billy himself opened that door with the title of his autobiography, Just As I Am.

In sum, The Leadership Secrets of Billy Graham is a worthy tribute to a man anointed by God to ride point for the cause of Jesus Christ over three generations in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Different readers will find different values in the book, but all will come away with a convicting story that will drive us to our knees when we realize why Billy Graham succeeded and where we fail.

Have you read this book? Add your comments below.