Born to Serve: Servant Leadership Among Youth Dr. Steve Dillman

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

Purpose 1.It seems to be a leadership model used by Jesus. 2.It is a leadership model that is compatible with holiness. 3.It is an emerging leadership focus that integrates techniques with positive values and motivations. Three reasons for servant leadership:

Leadership What is leadership?

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

Leadership What is servant leadership?

Leadership Genuine servant leadership is an influence that emerges from the motivations and values of the leader.

Leadership Top Ten Reasons You May Need To Improve As A Leader 10. Your little brother runs every time he sees you coming. 9. Your parents have put a hazardous waste sign on your bedroom door. 8. The car insurance agent knows more about you than he does your parents. 7. Your dates would rather stay home and watch SpongeBob SquarePants on TV.

Leadership Top Ten Reasons You May Need To Improve As A Leader 6. You do your homework in crayon. 5. You think “Catcher in the Rye” is about a minor league baseball player. 4. You consider the mall an educational field trip. 3. Babies cry only when you pick them up. 2. In gym class, the school jocks pick their noses before they’ll pick you.

Leadership Top Ten Reasons You May Need To Improve As A Leader 1. The church youth group stopped telling you where they were meeting.

Church Leadership Movement Basically, organizationally oriented Tries to focus on others Inspires with vision and mission Based on Biblical values

Church Leadership Movement Authoritative - Positional authority

Church Leadership Movement “Some of us take our leadership role more seriously than others.”

Church Leadership Movement Authoritative - Positional authority Transactional - Contests, competitions, public pressures Business Model – Biblical motivations wrapped in business strategies Functional – Needs drive leadership decisions

Church Leadership Movement

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.

Servant Leadership Secular Influence – Robert Greenleaf “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?”

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

Servant Leadership 1.Jesus’ leadership is different than worldly leadership. 2.Pre-requisite for greatness in the Kingdom is becoming a servant/slave. 3.Jesus identifies himself as a servant. 4.The role of servant involves serving and sacrifice. Theological Issues in Matthew 20

Servant Leadership 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 Ebed = “Servant” in Old Testament

Servant Leadership Motivational  Altruism – consideration of others above one’s own self and without regard to compensation.  Agape Love – highest form of love involving sacrifice and submission. Essential Character

Servant Leadership Values  Humility – think more highly of others than ones’ self.  Trust – integrity, honesty.  Service – willingness to decrease so that others may increase their effectiveness. Essential Character

Servant Leadership Behavior  Vision – seeing the potential in others.  Empowerment – enabling others to become leaders themselves.  Service – doing whatever it takes to increase the effectiveness of others. Essential Character

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.

Servant Leadership

To continue the dialogue… Feel free to contact me: Dr. Stephen W. Dillman