Dr. Mark Croston Shares His Years of Godly Leadership in His New Book

By Timothy Yap Dec 18, 2021 05:01 AM EST

Dr. Mark Croston, the National Director of Black Church Partnerships for Lifeway Christian Resources, has just released his brand new book. Big Results Leadership (B&H Publishing) is a book that not only trains up future leaders, it also provides markers that allow leaders to discern if we are still moving in the right direction. With experience in a variety of areas-school, corporate, government, community church, denominational, family and more, Croston offers both biblical and practical ways for leaders to grow and develop their skills and calling.

Croston writes, "I get to talk to and coach people in leadership positions almost everyday. One thing is true: every leader wants some tools to help them get their organization to achieve the results they are hoping for. I wrote this book to share the overflow of my insights and experiences, blended with research, that can help leaders get where they want to go.

I hope that those looking for direction will find it, and those whom society counts as failures or underachievers will find that they are neither. Big results are those that accomplish God's purpose and plan."

Croston also believes that leadership needs to be God-centered, he explains,"There is a tremendous difference between achieving goals and achieving God's will. God-centered leadership is to allow God to lead the way for his glory and the advancement of his kingdom. Bigger is not always better, and smaller is not always good. Ultimately, big results are those that accomplish God's purpose and plan."

Leadership, according to Croston, is done over time, in seasons, phases and stages. What is absolutely right at one place and time can be awfully wrong at another. One size or strategy does not fit all situations. This book cannot cover every situation but guides the leader to glean from the role models in the biblical text. There, leaders gain tools that are effectively adapted to move every leader toward success.

Croston was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and is the eighth of nine children. For his masters, he attended the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and graduated with a concentration in Pastoral Care and Counseling. He then received his D.Min. in Christian Education from Virginia Union University.

After 26 years of successful pastoral ministry, he transitioned to his current role at Lifeway in November, 2013. He has been a contributing author to The Chosen Path, Seeds of Hope: Liberia and Virginia Baptists; From My Heart to Yours, and Worship: How to Say to God I Love You.