John Reid, Consultant, Mediator, Coach
The Reid Group

For people of faith, a central call of the Gospel is to follow in the footsteps of Jesus as “one who serves.” (Luke 22:27) When service is connected to faith, we call it ministry. One of the most important ministries within churches today—and an important responsibility in non-profit organizations—is quality leadership.

There is much to learn from Retired Bishop Vincent Warner of the Episcopal Diocese of Olympia WA who defined nine values of servant leadership that are relevant in the 21st century for leaders in government, business, non-profit and faith-based organizations.

Values of Servant Leadership

1. Servant Leadership insists on collaboration rather than competition; it puts a premium on truthfulness and admitting mistakes.

2. Servant Leadership has the capacity to move to the other side, i.e., to feel with New Testament compassion.

3. Servant Leadership holds accountable, but never blames. Good leadership never blames—blaming is covering up. Accountability offers the possibility for growth.

4. Servant Leadership is willing to compromise with others when appropriate, and therefore, is not in need of always controlling the outcome.

5. Servant Leadership, by letting go of controlling and trusting and validating others, is then possible to be of good cheer—to be joyful. Joy and cheer come from not always having to do it right.

6. Servant Leadership seeks the enhancement of the individual or community as the outcome over productivity.

7. In Servant Leadership, power is for participation not for domination—power with, rather than power over.

8. Servant Leadership systems (local church/dioceses) succeed because they value and validate their members and tell the truth. Systems fail because they exploit the members and hide and conceal.

9. In Servant Leadership, being a servant means putting oneself at risk, with humility and clarity that is cruciformity.

Which of these values speaks to you? We invite you to identify one that you would like to develop more strongly in yourself, and share your thoughts in the comments to this blog.