Servant Leadership in the Church

1. Servant Leadershipin theChurch Dr. Stephen W. Dillman

2. Purpose My purpose is to help develop servant leaders whom God can use to grow His Kingdom to His honor and glory.

3. Purpose Three reasons for servant leadership: • It seems to be a leadership model used by Jesus. • It is a leadership model that is compatible with holiness. • It is an emerging leadership focus that integrates techniques with positive values and motivations

4. Leadership Movement What is leadership? Focus on group processes; matter of personality; matter of inducing compliance; exercise of influence; particular behavior; form of persuasion; power relation; instrument to achieve goals; an act of interaction; a differentiated role; initiation of structure; a combination of any or all of the above.” Bernard Bass, Bass & Stogdill’s Handbook on Leadership

5. Leadership Movement What is leadership? Genuine leadership is an influence that emerges from the motivations and values of the leader.

6. Leadership Movement • Thomas Carlyle (1841) – Heroes and Hero Worship • Great Man Theories – focus on individual • Trait Theories – why an individual seemed better able to lead than others

7. Leadership Movement • Situational Theories – circumstances make the leader • Personal-Situational Theories – combination of personality and circumstance • Psychoanalytic Theories – fears, needs, or early childhood experiences form the leader

8. Leadership Movement • Political Theories – leadership develops from ulterior, political motives • Humanistic Theories – values people more than organizations; leadership develops from human interaction • Transactional Theories – leaders exchange something of value for higher productivity of followers • Cognitive Theories – leadership evolves from underlying relational influences

9. Leadership Movement • Transformational Theories – leader considers the desires and needs of followers • Charismatic Leadership • Moral Leadership • Inspirational Leadership

10. Church Leadership Movement • Basically, organizationally oriented • Try to focus on others • Inspire with vision and mission • Based on Biblical values

11. Church Leadership Movement • Authoritative - Positional authority • Transactional - Contests, competitions, public pressures • Business Model – Biblical motivations wrapped in business strategies

12. Church Leadership Movement • Functional Leadership – Need drives the choice of a leader • Body Life - Ray Steadman • Church Unleashed – Frank Tillapaugh • Pastor = player/coach • Congregation = ministers

13. Church Leadership Movement • Return to Leader-focused • John Maxwell – 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership • Effective leadership = effective organization

14. Servant Leadership • Enhances the best in all leadership styles and strategies. • Addresses two major flaws: • Focuses on people – They are the “end” and not a “means to an end.” • Value-based Lifestyle - Not a leadership style/technique incorporating values.

15. Servant Leadership • Secular Influence – Robert Greenleaf • Hermann Hesse, Journey to the East (1970) “The servant leader is servant first….It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. The conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead….The difference manifests itself in the care taken by the servant—first to make sure that the other people’s highest priority needs are being served. The best test, and the most difficult to administer, is: Do those being served grow as persons? Do they, while being served, become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to become servants? And, what is the effect on the least privileged in society; will they benefit or, at least, not be further deprived?”

16. Servant Leadership • Pre-Christian Influence • Leader First – Choose to serve • Christian Influence • Servant First – Leader by God’s grace • Jesus is the role model • Matthew 20: 26-28 • James and John had special roles (with Peter) • Matthew 10:1-2 – authority to preach, heal, drive out demons (Also, Mark 3: 14-17; Mark 6: 6-13) • Mark 5: 21-43 – Healing of Jarius’ daughter • Matthew 17: 1-2 – Transfiguration

17. Servant Leadership Theological Issues in Matthew 20 • Worldly leadership is different than Jesus’ leadership. • Pre-requisite for greatness in the Kingdom is becoming a servant/slave (Also, 1 Timothy 3: 8-13). • Jesus identifies himself with being a servant. • The role of servant involves serving and sacrifice.

18. Servant Leadership Ebed = “Servant” in Old Testament • Someone who will establish justice • Someone who will be a covenant to the people • Someone to set captives free • Someone who will serve both Jews and Gentiles • Someone who will suffer as part of the reconciling process • Someone who will bear another’s burden

19. Vision/Mission Prayer Obedience Holiness Truth Trust Forgiveness Love Modeling Sacrifice Pioneering/Custom breaking Confrontation Empowerment Teaching Delegation Servant Leadership Servant Character of Jesus -- Dr. Robert Russell

20. Servant Leadership Motivational Elements • Agape Love • Agape = total commitment to the object of one’s affection (see, 2 Timothy 4:10). • Leadership is character that flows from within the heart. • Altruism • Sacrificing self on behalf of others • Selflessness, willing self-denial (Holiness???)

21. Servant Leadership Value Elements • Trust • “Trustworthiness” • Consistency of words and actions • Humility • Philippians 2 – choice of self-denial • Submitted to God; at His disposal • Selfless, vulnerable, unprentiousness, modesty, avoiding the egotistical, lack of arrogance, listener, accepts constructive criticism, respects others, and accountable to the group.

22. Servant Leadership Value Elements • Commitment to Serve • True service recognizes one’s calling. • Lifts up people (both the served and those helping us serve). • Involves resourcing, encouraging, mentoring, investment, inconvenience. • Character of service = generosity

23. Servant Leadership Behavioral Elements • Empowerment • Believes people have intrinsic value. • Sharing of power, authority, and responsibility. • Leaders are equal, but with different roles (See 1 Corinthians 12). • Leadership roles are interdependent.

24. Servant Leadership Behavioral Elements • Vision • Not about the organization. • Sees the potential for the people served and those who serve with the leader. • Similar to the spiritual gift of discernment (1 Corinthians 12:10) but adds proactive interest in helping others. • Pictures a positive future for another person

25. Servant LeadershipDissertation Summary • Agapao love, altruism, and humility appear to be synonymous and related to motivation. • Profoundly, the primary characteristic associated with servant leaders is service. • Empowerment, vision, and trust are not seen as unique to servant leadership except when the focus is on the follower and not the organization.

26. Servant LeadershipDissertation Summary • Servant leaders may utilize one or more leadership styles and still be perceived as a servant leader on the basis of their motivations, relationship with their followers, and willingness to serve. • Servant leadership is a lifestyle choice and not a leadership style choice.

27. Servant Leadership Summary Servant Leadership is a lifestyle that seeks to lead from a set of motivations and values that focuses on benefiting and blessing people because we love them and want to serve them; not because they can help us achieve some kind of organizational success.

28. Servant Leadership To continue the dialogue… Feel free to contact me: Rev. Stephen W. Dillman sdillman@zoominternet.net Or 175 North Road Butler, PA 16001 USA