Servant Leadership for Congregations

Book excerpt: There is no finer management concept than that of the servant leader, none more essential to organizational well-being. Servant Leadership for Congregations extends the concept to Christian congregations, a natural bonding exemplified by Christ. SERVANT LEADERSHIP DEFINED Servant leadership for Christian congregations is defined "as a democratic philosophy of guiding stewardship that values the responsibilities, interests, and abilities of all affected parties, and actively encourages their full involvement in planning and decision-making through study and open discussion toward consensus. The Christian servant leader is one who, recognizing God's sovereign will over all, leaps to do that will with the help of the Holy Spirit." BOOK DESCRIPTION Servant Leadership is organized in two divisions. The first, The Christian Servant Leader, presents the nature of the servant as a congregational leader, together with the impact on basic management functions. The second, Functional Responsibilities, a primer on application, reports ways in which the various church functions may be affected by servant leadership. The volume's 23 chapters and four appendices are listed below. Servant Leadership for Congregations Preface, Acknowledgements, Contents The Christian Servant Leader 1. Introduction 2. About Congregations Part I. Concept and Spirituality of Servant Leadership 3. The Concept of the Servant as a Leader 4. The Priesthood of All Believers Part II. The Nature of Servant Leadership 5. Bible Guidance and Derived Principles 6. Personal Dimensions of the Servant Leader 7. Peremptory Authority 8. Core Elements for Leading/Managing Part III. Church Structure and Leadership Roles 9. Statements and Organization 10. Leadership Roles Part IV. Leadership in Practice 11. Communications and Planning 12. How to Conduct Meetings and Reach Decisions Functional Responsibilities Part V. Worship 13. The Worship Service 14. New Needs, New Responses 15. The Spoken Word and Prayer Part VI. Discipleship 16. Parish Life 17. Small Group Ministries 18. Christian Education 19. Our Call to Stewardship 20. Evangelism - Basics and the Inreaching Responsibility 21. Evangelism - the Outreaching Challenge 22. Community Ministry 23. Administration and Property Appendices A. Christian Music B. Job Descriptions C. The Challenge of Seeking Perfection D. The Renewal Reader