Staying Power: Leadership, Formation, and The Cost of Absence

What causes gifted leaders to lose their way?

Why do so many passionate pastors, ministry leaders, and emerging influencers begin with conviction but struggle to finish with the same strength, clarity, and purpose?

In Staying Power, Dr. Edwin R. Rideout addresses one of the most overlooked challenges facing Christian leadership today-not a lack of talent, calling, or education, but the absence of consistent spiritual formation and life-giving mentorship.

Drawing from more than three decades of pastoral ministry, personal experience, biblical scholarship, and leadership research, Rideout explores how leaders are shaped by both presence and absence. Through compelling stories, practical wisdom, and a fresh examination of Paul's relationship with Timothy, readers will discover how enduring leadership is formed through faithful relationships, spiritual accountability, character development, and a deeply rooted walk with Christ.

This transformative guide will help readers:

• Build a foundation for long-term spiritual and leadership health
• Understand the critical role of mentorship and generational discipleship
• Navigate loneliness, burnout, and leadership pressures
• Develop resilience through biblical formation
• Cultivate character, integrity, and emotional maturity
• Lead from presence rather than performance
• Finish their calling with faithfulness and purpose

More than a leadership book, Staying Power is an invitation to embrace a healthier model of ministry-one grounded in relationships, sustained by grace, and strengthened by the presence of God.

Whether you are a pastor, ministry leader, church planter, mentor, or emerging Christian leader, this book offers a powerful roadmap for building a life and ministry that endures.

Because leadership is not simply about starting well-it is about staying well.