A Review of The Multi-Directional Leader by Trevin Wax

I grew up in an evangelical church, navigated a mainline seminary, and now pastor an evangelical church. Having inhabited both conservative and liberal worlds, I am aware of the ideological threats on both sides. I have often found myself in rooms where I was the lone conservative and I’ve been in other rooms where I was suspected of being a closet liberal. The Multi-Directional Leader struck home in the challenges I have dealt with as a leader.

Trevin Wax's The Multi-Directional Leader comes in at just under 100 pages. thesis is this: most under-shepherds of God's flock are concerned about threats from only one direction. The faithful under-shepherd, however, is aware of threats to the sheep from all sides. The importance of this simple thesis cannot be understated.

Wax says that the temptation to be one-dimensional comes from within and without. In writing to Timothy, Paul warned preachers of the temptation to scratch itching ears. There will always be those within our congregations who want to hear alarms only of the dangers that come from one side.

We must recognize both in ourselves and in our culture that there is a temptation to shrink our concerns to a subset of the gospel. There are those who are concerned about courage and truth telling. Others are concerned about compassion and service. Still others are concerned about fulfilling the Great Commission. All of these are gospel concerns. But none represent the entirety of Jesus’ teachings. Wax quotes Collin Hansen who reminds us that, "The problem with blind spots is that they tend to hide behind good traits." All three of these areas of focus are good. They just aren't comprehensive. They don't represent Christ fully.

Wax reminds us that multi-directional leadership is "...not about finding the middle between extremes, but about holding fiercely to both extremes, insofar as we see them in Scripture." How are we letting Scripture conform our commitments, worldview, and political ideology?

The faithful under-shepherd knows that when we only fight off dangers from one side, we are vulnerable from attacks from the other side. Wax quotes Screwtape, who reminds his demon apprentice, "All extremes except extreme devotion to the Enemy are to be encouraged."

How do we develop a multi-directional sensibility? "Delight in scripture, even when it challenges our systems and assumptions." We all love something about Jesus. But do we love all of Jesus? Wax says that following Jesus fully means not muting the alarms, but seeing cultural alarms in more places. "The problem isn't that one-directional leaders are alarmist, but that they aren't alarmist enough. Like a radio tuned to only one frequency, they may perceive a particular threat clearly but remain deaf to other warning bells."

I love the analogy Wax offers, "If you've been lifting weights with one arm, so only those muscles have developed, the solution isn't to stop lifting altogether and thus lose your strength, but to lift with the other arm to bring both sides to a similar level."

A faithful shepherd knows the need for a plurality of leaders who can help him with his blind spots. Wax says, "The one-directional leader, by contrast, doesn't stand back-to-back with anyone. He fights alone."

Wax offers a helpful list for self-evaluation. What are your strengths and weaknesses? Which direction will you be drawn toward? Where have you been wounded? Where are you tempted to have self-pity?

Wax weaves several helpful examples throughout: Jesus as he relates to the Pharisees, Saducees, and Romans. Paul as he battles both license and legalism. And John Stott's life navigating liberal and conservative challenges to the gospel in 20th century England.

Wax concludes with three brief chapters on racial injustice, questions of gender, and finally a chapter on Bible interpretation.

Wax's book will be a helpful guide to many church leaders, I have only two critiques. First, I wish it would have been longer. I would have loved to see the final chapters beefed up and additional chapters added. Further, I would have loved to see more information on how to navigate those who are angry with you as a leader for being multi-directional. Thanks, Trevin, for your timely book. I was encouraged by it and I'm sure many others will be.

Photo by Patrick Schneider on Unsplash

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