LEADERSHIP IS NOT A POSITION... IT IS A FORMULA. Discover the formula, embrace the calling and lead like a shepherd. Psalm 23 is the most beloved chapter in the scripture and the most under examined. Most readers known it as a comfort psalm, recited at funerals and framed on walls. The shepherd formula argues it is something far more demanding: a compete leadership manual, written in the voice of a man who was both king and sheep. Using the image of the ROD and the STAFF as a formula, X ( correction, discipline, defense ) plus Y ( guidance, rescue, presence ) Emmanuel Chukwubuikem walks through psalm 23 verse by verse, exposing what happens when leaders offer only one instrument and starve their people of the other. Along the way, the book confronts the commercialization of modern ministry, tracing a direct line from Johann Tetzel s indulgences to todays transactional "anointing for sale" culture. What set the exposition apart is its cultural depth. chukwubuikem draws on Igbo, Akan, Zulu, Xhosa, Shona, Swahili and Yoruba proverbial wisdom, living oral traditions rarely placed in conversation with biblical exegesis to show that the shepherd formula was an ANCIENT invention, a truth Africa has always known by another name. Written for pastors, congregational leaders, and every beliver trying to follow well in a season when followership has become as confused as leadership, the shepherd formula is scholarly ENOUGH FOR THE STUDY AND DIRECT ENUOGH FOR THE PULPIT. Inside you will find :- A verse by verse exposition of psalm 23 built around the rod and staff "formula" A historical appendix connecting the medieval indulgence trade to modern ministry practice Africa proverbs from seven languages traditions, each tied to a theological principle. A glossary of Hebrew, Greek and African key terms A complete scripture index and full bibliography Whether you lead a congregation, a house-hold or simply your own soul through a difficult season, this book will not let you read psalm 23 the same way again.
