Author: Dave Harvey

Subtitle:

God's Plan to Use Weakness in Leaders

When you signed on for ministry leadership, you didn’t realize there would be a clause. The suffering and sadness, fatigue and feebleness, troubles and trauma, are all a part of a conspiracy. The author calls it The Clay Pot Conspiracy: Our weakness + God’s power = Resilient ministry. It is God’s plan to use what we lack to build perseverance and press us to embody the gospel we preach.

Based on his experience in ministry, Harvey unravels the conspiracy, helping readers understand how God is magnified and his grace is displayed in our response to weakness. Combining Scripture, gripping stories, and practical tools, he takes leaders on an exploration of seven surprising wonders within God’s plan, covering areas such as how God uses loss to bring life, the role of enemies, importing weakness into your team culture, and above all, dependence upon Christ. Each person’s story in ministry is different, yet the goal remains the same: To draw back the curtain on God’s plan to help you embody the gospel.

• Author shares his own struggles with loss, ministry mistakes, disappointed dreams, and church hurt as a way forward toward resilience and growth.
• Concludes with a call to leaders to run the race of faith together, supporting one another, and finishing well.
• Discouraged ministry leaders will be given hope that rests on what Jesus can do through our weakness and find encouragement toward a life of joy and faith.

About the author:

Dave Harvey, DMin, is president of Great Commission Collective, a church-planting ministry in North America and abroad. He’s the author of When Sinners Say “I Do”, The Plurality Principle, Stronger Together, and The Clay Pot Conspiracy. Dave and his wife, Kimm, live in southwest Florida. 

Endorsements:

“It has been one of the most difficult lessons I have ever had to learn, that God delights to use weak people. God does not use weak people by first making them strong, but by keeping them weak. Why? Because their weakness provides the greatest opportunity for God to display his power. This is the clay pot conspiracy that Dave Harvey unveils in this powerful, necessary book. I highly recommend you read it.”  ~Tim Challies, Author of Seasons of Sorrow

“Dave Harvey helps us all with the timely reminder that when we acknowledge our dependence upon God, we find that weakness is an advantage!”  ~Alistair Begg, Senior Pastor, Parkside Church; Bible teacher, Truth For Life

“I’m grateful for Dave Harvey’s The Clay Pot Conspiracy because of how he points leaders to the true gospel where, like Jesus, we minister out of suffering. I pray you’ll read this book and join the conspiracy of Christlike leadership it lovingly outlines.”  ~Jared C. Wilson, Assistant Professor of Pastoral Ministry, Midwestern Seminary; pastor for preaching, Liberty Baptist Church; author of Lest We Drift

“Dave has suffered family and ministerial heartbreak—trials that can wreck a person's faith. Yet, all Dave can talk about is Jesus. With the loveliness of Jesus set before us, Dave counsels us with wisdom, grace, clear talk, honest weakness, and the kind of humor that mends a soul. Dear leader, Jesus has met Dave in the broken places. Dave testifies that Jesus can meet us there too.”  ~Zack Eswine, Lead Pastor, Riverside Church; author of The Imperfect Pastor

“God’s power shines through weakness—that simple, often-neglected gospel truth is the heart of The Clay Pot Conspiracy. With biblical insight and raw personal stories, Dave Harvey reminds us that the steep road of sorrow isn’t an aberration but a promised part of the journey toward glory. Drawing especially from the apostle Paul, he shows how our frailties are not barriers to ministry but the very means by which God displays his goodness and love. A powerful book forged through sorrow and joy.”  ~Trevin Wax, Vice President of Resources and Marketing, North American Mission Board; visiting professor, Cedarville University; author of The Thrill of Orthodoxy, Rethink Your Self,and Gospel-Centered Teaching

“Dave Harvey speaks from decades of experience to encourage church leaders to embrace God’s purposes in their weakness. He transparently shares how great trials have exposed his own weakness but God used them to better display Christ in his life. Dave also reminds us that great joy comes along with the suffering as we care for the Lord’s sheep. I counsel many discouraged pastors, and I am excited to be able to give them this resource, which will encourage them to continue to be vulnerable for Christ’s sake and to endure.”  ~Jim Newheiser, Professor of Christian Counseling and Pastoral Theology, Reformed Theological Seminary, Charlotte; executive director, The Institute for Biblical Counseling and Discipleship (IBCD)

“This book is for leaders, but if I’m being honest, it’s a must-read for every believer today. Dave conducts a masterclass in his latest work, showing us that weakness is one of the most counterintuitive but essential aspects of our faith. With sincere honesty and humble vulnerability, Dave shows us that weakness is the way—the way to true flourishing in Christ.”
Jonathan D. Holmes, Executive Director, Fieldstone Counseling; board member, the Christian Counseling and Educational Foundation (CCEF)