What the World Needs Now: Seven Attributes of Servant Leadership for Church Lay Leaders
What the World Needs Now: Seven Attributes of Servant Leadership for Church Lay Leaders
Lorianne Smith | 2022
Abstract
Church lay leaders serve an important role in the church. In recent years, pastors have realized the added responsibility of church administration as well as serving as the spiritual leader of the congregation. It is an understatement that pastors cannot do everything that ministry and church administration requires without the dedicated, competent, and committed assistance of lay leaders. This book is written with church lay leaders in mind; however, it can serve as a resource for all Christians and church leaders who want to engage in servant leadership.
Robert K. Greenleaf brought to the forefront the concept of servant leadership in the early 1970s, pointing out that the natural desire to serve and meet the needs of others is foundational to servant leadership. Servant leadership in the church does not resemble the world or secular leadership but takes on the qualities of Christ—humility, love, integrity, grace, and courage. Servant leadership is not just a leadership style. It is a lifestyle. Leaders who embody the servant lifestyle foster inclusiveness, emphasize the value of people, and empower, inspire, teach, and listen.
This book is written to inspire and encourage lay leaders in the church. The seven attributes of servant leadership explored include love, communication, humility, grace, integrity, stewardship, and courage. The chapters are written to be read in succession or individually and in any order. Throughout each chapter, readers are encouraged to Reflect and Connect. This allows the reader to personalize and digest the content while connecting it to personal ministry leadership. Readers are encouraged to keep a journal to write down thoughts and reflections, do’s and don’ts, inspirational thoughts, and epiphanies as they read. Finally, each chapter concludes with a summary list of Take-Aways from the chapter, encouraging the reader to think on these things.