If there is anyone who is credentialed by the school of pragmatic leadership to write a book with the title Preparing for and Experiencing the Challenges of Leadership, it would have to be Ernest Ferrell. His roles as a visionary pastor, community leader, former denominational head, and forward-thinking president/CEO of the Tallahassee Urban League qualify him to share his insights with the world. In fact, the insights from this memoir are long overdue. Writing an autobiography is often as dangerous as it is a challenge. Making a judgment about what to leave out is as critical as what to leave in. What Ernest Ferrell has decided to share are the essentials of his life s journey. There is enough here to maintain our interest, and also a good deal to teach us. These are the bare bones on which the leadership muscle, brilliance, and personality have been attached. Here are the essential ports-of-call on his journey and the lessons learned along the way. I value the friendship and professional camaraderie we have maintained and enjoyed over the span of years now approaching fifty. Though I have been negligent in telling him so, I have always admired his capacity to do so many things well. It s nigh time that he would tell the rest of us how he does it. Actually, I m reasonably certain that I know how he does it. It s his faith! He is steeped in an undaunted belief that God is real. His life is guided by principles articulated in the teachings of Jesus, sustained in the acceptance of what Christ accomplished at Calvary, and his daily experience with the power and Spirit of God. In this regard, I have also valued his ecumenical attitude and spirit. He is an Elder and a seasoned pastor in the Primitive Baptist Church, but he is also at home across denominational lines with a healthy respect for the variety of other faith traditions. I suspect, therefore, that it is his faith that has sustained him through the trials and tribulations of leadership. This memoir reveals not only his successes at leadership, but also his wounds and disappointments. He has demonstrated a capacity to rise above the setbacks and to make a gallant effort to press toward the mark of the high calling of God. His story is especially compelling for those who are engaged in formal ministry, and those who are serious about their personal walk of faith.Preparing for and Experiencing the Challenges of Leadership emerges from life experience, attempting the untried, experimenting in business, taking advantage of opportunities, sometimes failing, always landing on his feet, climbing the rungs of leadership in national organizations as prominent as the National Urban League, and as storied as the National Primitive Baptist Convention. Dr. Ernest Ferrell has made his mark as a leader. I am elated that we finally get to learn from his journey. --Adam J. Richardson, Jr. 115th Bishop, African Methodist Episcopal Church Florida and the Commonwealth of the Bahamas Preparing for the Challenges of Leadership resonates with me in many profound ways. It is not easy, nor is it glamorous as some may believe. As Ferrell s book outlines, it involves many ups and downs, successes, failures, triumphs and tragedies. Being an effective leader is an extremely difficult and demanding challenge, Reverend Ernest Ferrell is such a leader. At the National Urban League we have considered him to be our spiritual link. He continues to lead the prayers at Urban League meetings, including family sessions, delegate assemblies, luncheons and the like. His commitment to his faith, and that faith is a motivating factor in his work on behalf of the people of the Tallahassee community, is well known and highly respected. I will always be grateful to Reverend Ferrell for the authorship of a National Urban League song that he not only composed, but sung, and that has stirred the heart of the Urban League Movement on many occasions. The song tells the complete story of the Movement, and continues to be used by many of our local Affiliates across the nation at board trainings and community meetings. Preparing for and Experiencing the Challenges of Leadership tells Reverend Ernest Ferrell s story and contains lessons that I not only relate to, but have been a part of as legislator, Mayor, and now as President of the National Urban League. I offer my congratulations to my friend Ernest Ferrell on behalf of the National Urban League. --Marc H. Morial, President and Chief Executive Officer, National Urban League, A visionary faithful servant, community leader, treasured human resource, former president of the National Primitive Baptist Convention, USA, pastor of the St. Mary Primitive Baptist Church, president and CEO of the Tallahassee Urban League, well known in Leon County, Florida, and married to the former Mary E. Richardson. Attended the public schools of Leon County and graduated from Old Lincoln High School in 1962. He was the first African American cashier to be employed by the Win