Management and the Gospel

The goals of Management and the Gospel: Luke's Radical Message for the First and Twenty-First Centuries may appear to be simple: it describes what management theory and practice looked like in the first century, uses this as a lens to examine what the Gospel of Luke says about management, and draws out implications for today. However, the book is quite profound in finding that management is a dominant theme in the Gospel, that its message is consistently counter-cultural, and that Luke contains a four-phase 'how to' process model to help readers to implement change. Readers will acquire a new way to understand the Gospel as well as the moral foundations of modern management.

“Dyck demonstrates that ‘management’ is not just a contemporary concept, but aspects of it were already evident in the ancient world (including in Aristotle‘s reflections) and in the Bible. … This remarkable effort will be of special use to Christian practitioners and scholars who want to reflect theologically on leadership. One would be hard pressed to find anything comparable to this work.” (Arthur Boers, Journal of Religious Leadership, Vol. 14 (1), 2015)“This ambitious volume engages in an interdisciplinary dialogue between the Gospel of Luke and contemporary management theory. … the volume is a welcome primer on how biblical studies can seek to interact with contemporary management theory.” (Thomas E. Phillips, Religious Studies Review, Vol.42 (3), September, 2016)  "Dyck advances the state of the art on the theology and spirituality of management by elaborating an integrative framework of New Testament theology, organizational behavior and business ethics in a scholarly, yet accessible, challenging and reader-friendly way. The book is replete with coherent and persuasive arguments on the relevance of Luke Gospel's tenets and principles to the secular world of contemporary rationalized organizations in their quest for inner meaning, purpose, new identities and above all, vision in turbulent times. . . . Provides an impetus for critical reflection on the responsibilities of organizations in modern times of a multilevel, as well as multifaceted and persistent crisis." - History of Economic Ideas "A remarkably interesting and insightful study . . . Dyck's book is a must-read for every business and management school in Anabaptist, Protestant, or Catholic-related institutions. It should also be read by Scripture scholars. He provides solid historical evidence for his claims and does not offer superficial remedies. Having begun the book with suspicions, I left it convinced that he has made an important contribution." - Direction: A Mennonite Brethren Forum "An excellent example of good Biblical integration . . . Valuable for management professors interested in teaching students what Jesus might say to present-day managers." - Christian Business Academy Review

Bruno Dyck is Professor in the Department of Business Administration in the I.H. Asper School of Business at the University of Manitoba, Canada.