Servant Leadership

Pointe of Grace Leadership Team 7/17/13

Jesus modeled servant leadership with a capacity to serve, be directive, lead with vision, and disagree and correct. The mentorship embodied by Christ and practiced in healthy ways can be summarized as follows:

L refers to leaders while D refers to disciples / learners / followers. Phase 1 (Directive - I do, you watch) The leader is directive with little consensus or explanation while the learner is enthusiastic but lacks adequate knowledge and experience to lead. The leader provides strong vision and guidance similar to Jesus calling his disciples with a brief yet directive call follow me (Mark 1:17) Phase 2 (Coaching - I do, you help) The leaders provide grace, accessibility, direction and vision as the learners get some initial experience but encounter resistance, difficulty, and perhaps failure. Doubt and discouragement appear as the question why? surfaces. Leaders help the learner understand that difficulties are to be expected but can be worked through faith. This phase is the engagement of reality rather than simply enthusiasm. Do not be afraid, little flock (Luke 12:32-24) Phase 3 (Pastoral - You do, I help) The learner begins to implement the lessons learned through the experience in the previous stage and grows in confidence, competence and enthusiasm. The leadership style is a consensus-oriented approach of collaboration with lower direction and higher discussion to affirm the growing capacity. I no longer call you servants but friends, because servants do not know their master s business go and bear fruit. (John 15:1217) Phase 4 (Delegating - You do, I watch) The disciples enjoy high experience, high enthusiasm, high confidence, and high competence. The leader begins to disengage through low direction and high consensus as well as intentional delegation which allows the learner to become a leadership. Go and make disciples I am with you always. (Matthew 28:18-20)