Pastor’s Formation LibraryKraig Kleeman
Cover of When Pastors Have Influence But Not Authority
← The Library

When Pastors Have Influence But Not Authority

Why Charisma, Position, and Giftedness Are Not the Same as Spiritual Power

A clear distinction between visible ministry influence and the spiritual authority that comes from intimacy, obedience, and formation.

$12Read online and download as PDF
  • 14 chapters
  • 148-page PDF
  • About 2 hours to read
  • Team discussion guide included

By Kraig Kleeman, founder of The Zoé Life

Read a PreviewSee the team guide ↓

The Core Premise

A church can be full of influence and empty of authority, and never know the difference until it matters most.

Why This Matters

The disciples had been given authority, and still they could not cast it out. This book explores what spiritual authority is, why influence cannot replace it, and how leaders recover it by abiding before ministering.

What You'll Discover

  • What authority is and is not
  • The name without the reality
  • Discernment: not every problem is a demon
  • When the room sets the agenda
  • Abiding before ministering and speaking from conquered ground

From the Book

They had been given authority. And still they could not cast it out.
A church can be full of influence and empty of authority.

For your team · Included with the book

Read it together

A printable discussion guide for staff teams, elders and pastor cohorts reading When Pastors Have Influence But Not Authority together. 4 conversations, one for each part of the book. Each one opens with a line from the book, then gives you questions and one practice to carry into the week.

  1. Session 1 · Introduction and Chapters 1–3

    The Missing Thing

    A pastor can be right about everything and still carry no weight in the unseen realm.

    3 questions · 1 practice

  2. Session 2 · Chapters 4–8

    Conquered Ground

    The enemy does not need a stronghold in a pastor. A foothold will do.

    5 questions · 1 practice

  3. Session 3 · Chapters 9–12

    Discernment

    Casting out the wrong thing is its own kind of powerlessness.

    4 questions · 1 practice

  4. Session 4 · Chapters 13–14 and Conclusion

    Recovering Authority

    I only have authority over that which I have conquered.

    3 questions · 1 practice

Free sample · The whole first sessionSession 1: The Missing ThingPart One · Introduction and Chapters 1–3Read Session 1

A pastor can be right about everything and still carry no weight in the unseen realm.

— Chapter 1

  1. Chapter 1 · Not as the Scribes

    Think of a recent Sunday. Where did the people hear a good word, and where, if anywhere, did something actually move?

  2. Chapter 2 · What Authority Is and Is Not

    Of the things often mistaken for authority, such as title, gifting, capability, personality or a following, which one does our team lean on most?

  3. Chapter 3 · The Name Without the Reality

    Where might we be using the right words over people without the reality behind them?

Practice for the week

Each person privately finishes one sentence: The place I most want God's authority, not just my influence, is… Share only if you choose.

The full guide opens from inside the book after you buy it, and prints straight from the page for each person on your team.

Related Ebooks