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Defining Servant Leadership
Why should you understand the role of Servant Leadership in Modern Times? The reason is that in servant leadership, it is not “your will” but it is “God’s will” that you are to carry out. Without this understanding, you will neglect what it truly means when it comes to the role of Servant Leadership of modern times. You must know is that a true servant leader carries out Godly principles with love and grace that stems from Christ-like behaviors (Galatians 5:22). For ministering disciplines of God, this is more than the worldview of a servant leadership role. However, because you are in this world, it is given to you the signs of the times and have the revelation knowledge of its view and be able to recognize and enact the spiritual components that is your calling. Thus, what is the role of servant leadership in modern times?
First, let us recognize that spiritual components define the principles of servant leadership. There are many organizations which are attempting to use these principles to serve their clients; not the other way around. Second, these core principles which they wish to operate are the scriptural basis of the greatest two commandments of Matthew 22:36-40. Third, with this scriptural definition, you have a uniform definition of what is servant leadership. Without this as a root principle, you would be tempted to rely mostly on world leadership in measuring and living servant leadership by their concepts, ideology or standards.
Key Principles of Servant Leadership
Scripturally, you now see that the essential principle that guides the role of servant leadership is love. One of the tragedies of organizational leadership and ministry leadership is “false love.’ That is, well-meaning leaders fail to operate from a place of acceptance to draw others for serving, Moreover the premise is, ” I cannot allow you in your differences from me. Your ways and thoughts are not like mine.”
Unfortunately, it is even difficult for some people to have a conversation or give a kind word to people who are of different beliefs, culture, and ethnicity. In this way, ministry leaders become like world organizations that they sometimes criticize. Notably, data shows that organizations differ in the way they define and implement the servant leadership model just as ministry leaders. What then are we to do? As previously stated, scripturally, servant leadership is defined by two great commandments. Godly love is its foundation.
Other Guiding Principles
Coupled with this type of love, a natural outcome is the gift of empathy and listening. This means that any principle, person, or otherwise ideology that divides and drive people away from the biblical meaning of servant leadership, is flawed. That can be difficult to accept in these modern times.
Jesus is the model for empathy and listening as a servant leadership. His was to operate from a place of acceptance in love (1 John 4:19). By comparison, how can it be any other way for the role of servant leadership?
Benefits of Servant Leadership in Organizations
Is it possible to adopt a servant leadership approach that can improve relations, i.e., team, communities, groups? Yes. However, only if you, as a leader, is willing to carry out this leadership style of love and serving others first – the two greatest commandments. Fortunately, we have Jesus as our model. Jesus often criticized religious leaders about their leadership styles. Their insensitivity, lack of compassion, hypocrisy, greed, self-pride, and lusts corrupted the organizations that they lead. Unfortunately, there is very little evidence in these narrative stories that they turned from this type of leadership.
Servant leadership can promote social responsibility within a community. As a leader, Jesus modeled this behavior. Yes, there were those who tried to provoke him with their questions. They sought to set traps. However, as a servant leader, his goal was always to lift up the community in obedience to the will of His Father. It was never to prevent others from entering; therefore, his leadership was in love.
Implementing Servant Leadership Practices
Hence, a servant leader must demonstrate social responsibility through acceptance of others within the community in which you are called to serve. So, how does one take actionable steps as a leader to adopt servant leadership methods? Here are four simple things you can do to implement servant leadership practices:
- Respect and remember who the CEO is. It is God who knows the heart of every individual.
- Recall that it is “His will” that must be done, not yours. He is the One who has 360 degrees vision.
- Examine the potential of your actions. Acknowledge if you are driven more by your personal motive, ideology, or opinion.
- Be an ambassador for healthy relationships. Ask yourself, “Am I a light that build healthy relations within the community?”
Finally, in this modern time, some of the most critical ways that people turn others away from the Kingdom is through ideology, criticism and social biases. Choosing to have “NO COMMENT” works. In these times, our call is spiritual milk (1 Peter 2:2). You do not have to respond to written or verbal comments, i.e., social media and messages that does not lift the body of Christ. Be willing to deny yourself of actions (responses) that push others further away from the love that God wants from us. (John 8:6-11)
Mine is to encourage as you move toward the role of servant leadership as your call. For more blog posts like this one, we invite to read at:
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