Professor Karoline Lewis, The Marbury E. Anderson Chair of Biblical Preaching at Luther Seminary, wrote “Embody: Five Keys to Leading With Integrity” to address the disconnect that many pastors and other leaders often feel between their theology and the leadership norms that they follow. The book was published by Abingdon Press in 2020.

Lewis uses the Gospel of John for her model of biblical leadership. At the center of this model is the Paraclete, from which she draws five qualities that a Christian leader should embody: accompaniment, attentiveness, authenticity, abundance, and advocacy. She also pairs each quality with a woman from John’s gospel who embodies that quality, such as the woman at the well (John 4), who models attentiveness.

Peter M. Wallace, producer and host of the Day 1 ecumenical radio and internet ministry, writes that the book “offers a vitally fresh approach to ancient insights. This is required—and life-altering—reading for everyone who aspires to follow Jesus and care for his church.”