The Emotional Intelligence of Jesus: Relational Smarts for Religious Leaders

by Roy M. Oswald, Arland Jacobson, Loren B. Mead (Foreword by)

Overview

Faith leaders are surrounded by people, constantly navigating mazes of different personalities, emotional levels, and individual characteristics. Working with committees, individuals, and other leaders is critical to successfully moving an organization forward and representing a congregation with credibility and effectiveness. Not every leader, however, is born with the inherent ability to effectively communicate and relate with others. That ability is called Emotional Intelligence—perceiving, controlling, and evaluating emotions.

Emotional Intelligence is widely studied in the business world to help improve leader effectiveness. The Emotional Intelligence of Jesus introduces readers to the ways emotional intelligence can enhance their work in faith settings. Authors Roy M. Oswald and Arland Jacobson highlight the emotional intelligence of Jesus, illuminating the remarkable ways he related to a diverse array of people, then show how these lessons can enrich the ministry of faith leaders today.

The book walks readers through five key principles of emotional intelligence—self-awareness, empathy, assertiveness, optimism, and stress management—illustrating these principles in the life of Jesus and offering practical applications for leaders today. The authors address emotional intelligence with both individuals and groups of all sizes. The Emotional Intelligence of Jesus is an essential resource for anyone looking to enhance their relationship and leadership effectiveness in a faith setting.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781566997812
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	01/22/2015
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	206
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Roy M. Oswald is the executive director of the Center for Emotional Intelligence and Human Relations Skills (EQ-HR) www.eqhrcenter.org. He is one of the founding EQ-HR Center board members, where he runs workshops and consults on the importance of emotional intelligence in the workplace, with a focus on religious organizations. An Alban consultant for thirty-one years, he is an ordained Lutheran minister and author of numerous books.

Arland Jacobson is an ELCA pastor, and a retired professor and administrator at Concordia College. He has a PhD in New Testament and Early Christianity from Claremont Graduate University in California.

Table of Contents

Contents

Introduction
1 – What is Emotional Intelligence?
2 – The Emotional Intelligence of Jesus
3 – Self-Awareness and Jesus
4 – Empathy and Jesus
5 – Assertiveness and Jesus
6 – Optimism and Jesus
7 – Stress Resilience and Jesus
8 – Loving Enemies as Emotional Intelligence
9 – Jesus and Interpersonal Forgiveness
10 – The Emotionally Intelligent Congregation
11 – The Emotionally Intelligent Pastor
12 – Implications for Transitional Points in Ministry
Appendix I—Emotional Traits
Appendix II—Clergy Life Changes Rating Scale
Appendix III—The Strain Response Inventory

Editorial Reviews

'swald and Jacobson provide a refreshing and positive approach that may be more accessible than say, a family systems approach, to arriving at a healthier minister and congregation; their approach is biblically-based and grounded in current brain science research. They avoid technical jargon and write with an inviting style that may overcome the skeptic’s posture toward yet another 'self-help' book for ministers. For those who find themselves in the midst of a transition, the co-authors offer helpful insights and counter what has been conventional wisdom with respect to avoiding a relationship with one’s predecessor in the congregation.... This book will help seminarians and newly minted ministers, as well as seasoned pastors—especially those who may be in the midst of significant and/or difficult transitions.

Interpretation: A Journal of Bible and Theology

★ 02/16/2015
Building on research of brain scientists and psychologists, particularly Daniel Goleman, that suggests that "feeling and thinking… are inseparable parts of our cognitive system," Oswald (Clergy Self-Care: Finding a Balance for Effective Ministry) and Jacobson (The First Gospel: An Introduction to Q) examine Jesus, congregations, and church leaders through this lens, with the aim of enriching congregational life. They contend that Jesus, as portrayed in the synoptic gospels, exemplifies an emotionally intelligent person through such traits as his ability to elicit "healing trust in ill persons," "abundance mentality," self-awareness, empathy, optimism, and stress resilience. When used in congregational settings, these qualities help people thrive, equipping them to address toxic interchanges head-on, promote teamwork, and offer effective pastoral care. An emotionally intelligent pastor is one who develops trust, builds relationships, is honest about difficult truths, and embodies Christian grace. The authors offer guidance for developing emotional intelligence, advice for a variety of pastoral situations and ministry settings, and tools, such as the Clergy Life Changes Rating Scale. Compelling, insightful and practical, this book is a valuable resource for promoting healthy congregations. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

This is a great new book for church leaders: The Emotional Intelligence of Jesus: Relational Smarts for Religious Leaders is a new book by Roy 'swald (a long-time consultant with the Alban Institute on matters of church leadership) and Arland Jacobson (a New Testament professor). They have combined their expertise and interest to explore the life and ministry of Jesus alongside the field of brain science inquiry related to emotional intelligence. Their goal is to discover how the practices of Jesus model emotional intelligence for leaders of the Church. From this vantage point, they discover new insights into the ministry of Jesus that could easily provide the foundation for a wonderful Bible study or sermon series. Chapters are devoted to self-awareness, empathy, assertiveness, optimism, stress resilience, loving one’s enemies, and forgiveness. There are additional chapters about best practices to enhance emotional intelligence in the life of a congregation as well as in the skill set of the pastor.

The United Methodist Church in Northern Virginia

Emotional Intelligence (EQ) is critical for vital congregations and for effective ministry. This book provides a fascinating perspective for seeing Jesus as exemplar of EQ. It gives a foundation for understanding EQ and, I hope, will encourage pastors and other leaders to grow in their EQ. Thinking about Jesus from an EQ perspective will help preachers communicate more effectively. Growing in EQ will help a pastor avoid many pitfalls. I commend it to anyone who seeks to grow in faith and strengthen relationships.

The Presbyterian Outlook

Two very experienced and wise experts who understand congregations and what they are up against have produced an insightful and useful book that will be of great value to those who lead congregations. To a certain degree this is a ‘how to’ book, but it is also a beautiful blending of applied behavioral science in dialogue with Jesus’ ministry and teaching. Roy M. 'swald and Arland Jacobson have winsomely brought together theological reflection with great descriptions of healthy leadership. I recommend this book for people who preach, who lead, and who are trying to figure out how to be effective leaders.

Speed B. Leas

The many studies of Jesus range from the scholarly to the devotional, from the iconoclastic to the worshipful, and from the social to the psychological to the philosophical. 'swald and Jacobson move into interesting new territory by combining rigorous historical-critical scholarship with advances in scientific studies of the human brain and nervous system. Without committing themselves to the historicity of the sources for Jesus one way or the other and viewing him instead as a character in literary documents, the authors conclude that the main traits Jesus displayed in his words and actions were self-awareness, empathy, assertiveness, and optimism—that is, he presents as a resilient figure capable of loving enemies and dispensing forgiveness. Studies of emotional intelligence point to the significance and interconnections between mental/thinking and emotional/feeling factors in cognitive processes that enable people to think and act with awareness of their own and others’ emotions and thus to function healthily and constructively in relationships, organizations, and institutions. By combining inquiry into a historical figure with contemporary scientific investigations, 'swald and Jacobson present a Jesus who is as interesting as Aristotle’s ‘great-souled person’ (Socrates?). Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty and professionals; general readers.

Choice Reviews

'swald and Jacobson provide a refreshing and positive approach that may be more accessible than say, a family systems approach, to arriving at a healthier minister and congregation; their approach is biblically-based and grounded in current brain science research. They avoid technical jargon and write with an inviting style that may overcome the skeptic’s posture toward yet another 'self-help' book for ministers. For those who find themselves in the midst of a transition, the co-authors offer helpful insights and counter what has been conventional wisdom with respect to avoiding a relationship with one’s predecessor in the congregation.... This book will help seminarians and newly minted ministers, as well as seasoned pastors—especially those who may be in the midst of significant and/or difficult transitions.

Interpretation: A Journal of Bible and Theology

The many studies of Jesus range from the scholarly to the devotional, from the iconoclastic to the worshipful, and from the social to the psychological to the philosophical. 'swald and Jacobson move into interesting new territory by combining rigorous historical-critical scholarship with advances in scientific studies of the human brain and nervous system. Without committing themselves to the historicity of the sources for Jesus one way or the other and viewing him instead as a character in literary documents, the authors conclude that the main traits Jesus displayed in his words and actions were self-awareness, empathy, assertiveness, and optimism—that is, he presents as a resilient figure capable of loving enemies and dispensing forgiveness. Studies of emotional intelligence point to the significance and interconnections between mental/thinking and emotional/feeling factors in cognitive processes that enable people to think and act with awareness of their own and others’ emotions and thus to function healthily and constructively in relationships, organizations, and institutions. By combining inquiry into a historical figure with contemporary scientific investigations, 'swald and Jacobson present a Jesus who is as interesting as Aristotle’s ‘great-souled person’ (Socrates?). Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty and professionals; general readers.

Choice

The many studies of Jesus range from the scholarly to the devotional, from the iconoclastic to the worshipful, and from the social to the psychological to the philosophical. 'swald and Jacobson move into interesting new territory by combining rigorous historical-critical scholarship with advances in scientific studies of the human brain and nervous system. Without committing themselves to the historicity of the sources for Jesus one way or the other and viewing him instead as a character in literary documents, the authors conclude that the main traits Jesus displayed in his words and actions were self-awareness, empathy, assertiveness, and optimism—that is, he presents as a resilient figure capable of loving enemies and dispensing forgiveness. Studies of emotional intelligence point to the significance and interconnections between mental/thinking and emotional/feeling factors in cognitive processes that enable people to think and act with awareness of their own and others’ emotions and thus to function healthily and constructively in relationships, organizations, and institutions. By combining inquiry into a historical figure with contemporary scientific investigations, 'swald and Jacobson present a Jesus who is as interesting as Aristotle’s ‘great-souled person’ (Socrates?). Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty and professionals; general readers.

CHOICE