An outreach ministry of Christ the Servant Parish that aims to mentor servant leaders thereby creating a more compassionate and caring community
"The servant-leader is servant first. It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead. The difference manifests itself in the care taken by the servant - first to make sure that other people's needs are being served. The best test, and difficult to administer is: Do those served grow as persons; do they, while being served, become healthier, wise, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to become servants? And what effect on the least privileged in society; will they benefit, or at least not be further deprived?"- Robert Greenleaf, Founder of the Servant Leadership Movement
Responsibility has a variety of meanings. Of the synonyms and definitions given for responsibility I like:
"The character and reliability within a particular domain or way of life."
The call to Servant Leadership is the call to responsibility toward our society - allowing the context of our relationship with others-in-the-world to define the character of our lives and the character of the faith community.
The “Pastoral Constitution on the Church and the Modern World” of the Second Vatican Council rests on the fundamental dignity of the human person and our solidarity with others. The preface to the document begins:
“The joys and the hopes, the griefs and the anxieties of the people of this age, especially those who are poor or in any way afflicted, these are the joys and hopes, the griefs and anxieties of the followers of Christ."
With human relationships we have responsibilities towards each other which the fundamental right to life requires. This right also implies the responsibility that we share to make our world – this domain we call “home” a place where individuals-in-community can be affirmed in their dignity and in their relationship with God and one another. Jesus provides us with the heart of our responsibility and our rights: "Love one another, as I have loved you" (John 13:34, 15:9-17). Love is the vocation of every human person – it is fundamental to our relationship with God and the fullest realization of our lives – both our rights and responsibilities.
Each of us then shares a corresponding responsibility to care for others as servant-partners in working for the benefit of the disadvantaged and those less privileged. Those who have more are called to more – a constant conversion of mind and heart.
The question that is asked of the servant-leaders is: Do those I serve grow as persons – do they themselves become servant leaders?
Empowerment is one of the characteristics of a Servant Leader.
To empower or to be empowered generally means:
To invest with authority; to enable; to render capable or able for some task. It also implies that when a person is empowered that they have achieved control over their destiny.
Jesus modeled for us the servant leader, the transformational leader, empowering his apostles and disciples.
What did Jesus do as a servant leader?
HE LISTENED AND HE TAUGHT OTHERS TO LISTEN: "You are my beloved Son;" He Taught his disciples to listen and allow those words “you are my beloved" to echo within their lives. Jesus taught his disciples the “radical equality” of all God’s daughters and sons and gave them but one command, to “love as I have loved.”
HE SHARED with his disciples a new way of life of self-giving love in service to others, “ I have come to serve, not to be served" - showing them by example a way of life – and the cost for choosing that way of life – the cross.
HE EMPOWERED his disciples by sending them out as servant leaders – “Behold, I have given you authority and power” to bring wholeness to the lives of God’s people- serving them so that they could become the people God originally intended them to be – giving them dominion over all the earth – co-creating and co-partnering with God in creating a world of justice, love, and peace.
Let's look at the Scriptures :
Luke 4:18:
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me . He has anointed me to proclaim Good News to the poor. He sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim release to the captives, recovery of sight to the blind, to deliver those who are crushed.
Matthew 12:19:
Here is my servant whom I have chosen, the one I love, in whom I delight. I will put my spirit on him and he will proclaim justice [ right relationship] to the nations.
Luke 10:7:
Behold, I have given you authority and power. [Sharing power and empowering others to accept wholeness and integrity in their personal , professional and spiritual lives]
Empowerment is about entrusting others to recognize their significance and dignity as persons, being able to value and love themselves. Empowerment is about helping others to re-imagine a way of life that enables them to move into the future- inviting them to share in building a future – a new heaven and a new earth – in which a Beatitude way of life will reign over and against the prevailing thoughts and practices of a society and culture. Jesus invites us to be part of a bigger picture – God’s vision – for the world.
A favorite concept of Robert Greenleaf is the concept of “unlimited liability.” He describes our culture as one in which two dominate symbols catch our imaginations. One is the symbol, Inc., and the other, LTD. Both are used in business, e.g. General Motors, Inc. / British Petroleum, LTD.
According to the Gale Encyclopedia of Small Business:
“in a sole proprietorship, the owner is personally liable for his or her business's debts and losses, there is little distinction made between personal and business…” and “a partnership is merely joint ownership, and in terms of personal liability, is similar to a sole proprietorship.”
“Incorporation, on the other hand, is a more complex process for it involves the creation of a legal entity that serves as a sort of "person" that can enter into and dissolve contracts; initiate or be the recipient of legal action; and own, acquire, and sell goods and property. A corporation, which must be chartered by a state or the federal government, is recognized as having rights, privileges, assets, and liabilities distinct from those of its owners.”
Limited Liability
Both Inc. and LTD refer to an enterprise owned by shareholders whose liability for the enterprise's debt is restricted: thus “limited liability.” This concept of “limited liability” can easily be transferred into our relationships. Commitments are made with “limited liability,” For instance, a marriage can be perceived as a contract with “limited liability” on the part of the individuals entering into the agreement. One can walk away from relationships without a crisis of conscience because the commitment was limited; or a reservation existed as to the degree of burden, demand or responsibility within the consent.
Unlimited Liability
Jesus’ call of the servant leader is one of “unlimited liability.” I have always found the story of Ananias and Sapphira in the Acts of the Apostles an intriguing example of “limited liability,” and a meaning for authentic community. Ananias and Sapphira become examples of individuals compromising the integrity of the meaning of community. For having sold some property for the needs of the community’s poor, they return their offering to the apostles, offering their proceeds to help feed the poor. The difficulty is not in offering the proceeds but the lack of integrity. In holding back some of the proceeds – limiting their perceived commitment to the community- they compromise the integrity of the entire community. As a result they are cut off from the community and their life in Christ.
In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus tells his disciples that “no one having put his hand to the plow, and then looks behind him, is fit for the Kingdom of God.” A limited liability has no place in the God’s reign.
Robert Greenleaf in The Servant Leader says that “as soon as one’s liability is qualified to any degree, love is diminished by that much.”
Jesus says, ‘Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is one Lord; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with your entire mind, and with all your strength. ‘The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself. ‘There is no other commandment greater than these. “
The Christian Community is called to serve with an unlimited liability - it becomes a way of life for the servant community.
The vision of the Servant Leader is a call to think outside the box.
Vision: The unusual competence in discernment or perception –
foresight in the manner in which one sees or conceives of something.
Thinking outside the box is a difficult task, and yet it is an essential characteristic in understanding Servant Leadership. The Servant Leader is the one who is able to dream- not fantasy or wishful thinking - but able to look beyond the limits of a current situation or moment; being on fire with an urgency and vision for change.
The Power of the Dream
While understanding the past, the Servant Leader begins to identify the assumptions guiding or informing the current challenges, and wanting to envision a new way of doing things, asks the question “What if?” That’s the moment when the Servant Leader is able to become the motivating force to build those relationships that will foster creative forces and inspire collaboration. Others will be empowered not merely to follow but to lead; challenging the process and encouraging the heart of the mission- sharing the “What if?”
The focus of Jesus’ life was in preaching God’s Reign. It was the center of his teaching, his mission and ministry. Jesus didn’t perceive or present God’s Reign as a “kingdom” established by power, prestige or position. Jesus presented God’s Reign as a kingdom established by service. That understanding was clarified for Jesus for 40 days and 40 nights in the desert (Read the temptation scene.) In the desert Jesus is tempted to give up the long range vision of God’s Reign and his connection with God – Abba - for a more immediate connection – a secular kingdom – without reference to God.
Jesus teaches us that God’s Reign is in our midst, and we are invited to share in it by embracing change or conversion - having the eyes to see and the ears to hear. Jesus says, “I tell you many prophets and kings longed to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.” For Jesus, God’s presence is not a one-dimensional but rather multi-dimensional experience. Not only could we experience it in worship, but also through the experience of art, music, beauty. The character of God – the Spirit of God - would be encountered in the midst of the common human experience, and in particular in service to others.
A Servant Leader embodies these qualities:
1) The leader must have a vision of where we are going
2) The leader must have a plan to get there
3) The leader must lead by example
4) The leader must hold others accountable
Jesus the model of the servant leader had a vision- the transformation of the world – shaping the present – sharing in God’s life – the kingdom was in our midst (Matt 6:33); Jesus had a plan on how to get there – Beatitude way of life (Matt 5:3-12); Jesus lead by example – washing the feet of the disciples (John 13:1-17); Jesus would hold others accountable – the story of the Last Judgment (Matt 25:31-46).
What if we shared the same disposition or spirit of service that empowered Jesus? What if we took seriously the reality that we are the beloved of God? What if shared the same vision as Jesus for the world?
Last week we explored the concept of humility as an essential component of Servant Leadership. This week we take up characteristic of altruism. Altruism basically means a selfless commitment to the welfare of others.
What does the Jesus say about this? John 15:13 says, “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life friends.”
Pope John Paul II, in his encyclical letter Sollicitudo rei socialis states that:
A very good example of altruism is the Students for Social Justice Movement, which is illustrated in this video:
When interdependence becomes recognized in this way, the correlative response as a moral and social attitude, as a "virtue," is solidarity. This then is not a feeling of vague compassion or shallow distress at the misfortunes of so many people, both near and far. On the contrary, it is a firm and persevering determination to commit oneself to the common good; that is to say to the good of all and of each individual, because we are all really responsible for all. This determination is based on the solid conviction that what is hindering full development is that desire for profit and that thirst for power already mentioned. These attitudes and "structures of sin" are only conquered - presupposing the help of divine grace - by a diametrically opposed attitude: a commitment to the good of one's neighbor with the readiness, in the gospel sense, to "lose oneself" for the sake of the other instead of exploiting him, and to "serve him" instead of oppressing him for one's own advantage (cf. Mt 10:40-42; 20:25; Mk 10:42-45; Lk 22:25-27).
Even though the dramatic visualization of need surrounds us, we often hear ourselves think “I can’t jump on a plane to another part of the world” -- But -- with a heightened awareness of need throughout the world and in the city, you can find yourself thinking, “I can do something.” If in recognizing that my city - Canton – is the acre of God’s world that has been given to me to extend my care – then it is here that I give of my time or my resources - at one of our soup kitchens, or sharing my talent on a Habitat for Humanity build, or helping a single mother with three children finish her education or further her education. It may be giving of my time at Catholic Charities or volunteering to help at school or in my parish or church. The important thing is that we share our lives in making a difference for one other person – but we need to answer for ourselves the question Jesus asked, “Who is my neighbor?”. That answer has to be determined by each one of us – but the neighbor is somewhere in this world – maybe in another part of the world or maybe right down the street at the crossroads of the city.
“Put on the attitude of Christ.” – If you have ever heard me at the pulpit, you have probably heard those words. I have decided to take the opportunity this Lenten season to start this blog to explore that phrase. It is my hope that you will feel free to comment and question as we progress, so that we may learn from each other and through the eyes of faith.
I named this blog At the Crossroads, Where Christ Meets the City because this is a weekly venue with daily feedback, where we can discuss the Sunday messages as we figure out together how we are going to apply them throughout the week. Through these discussions, I believe we can become transformational leaders within our community, as we meet at the crossroads of the city.
One thing you are going to hear a lot about from me is Servant Leadership. The phrase Servant Leadership was coined by Robert K. Greenleaf in The Servant as Leader, an essay that he first published in 1970. In that essay, he said:
"The servant-leader is servant first… It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead. That person is sharply different from one who is leader first, perhaps because of the need to assuage an unusual power drive or to acquire material possessions…The leader-first and the servant-first are two extreme types. Between them there are shadings and blends that are part of the infinite variety of human nature."
Greenleaf says what sets Servant Leadership apart is the way it puts the needs of the people first. The litmus test for effective Servant Leadership is your answers to these questions that Greenleaf puts forth:
·Do those served grow as persons?
·Do they, while being served, become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to become servants?
·What is the effect on the least privileged in society?
·Will they benefit or at least not be further deprived?
In his second major essay, The Institution as Servant, Robert K. Greenleaf articulated what is often called the "credo." He said:
"This is my thesis: caring for persons, the more able and the less able serving each other, is the rock upon which a good society is built. Whereas, until recently, caring was largely person to person, now most of it is mediated through institutions - often large, complex, powerful, impersonal; not always competent; sometimes corrupt. If a better society is to be built, one that is more just and more loving, one that provides greater creative opportunity for its people, then the most open course is to raise both the capacity to serve and the very performance as servant of existing major institutions by new regenerative forces operating within them."
During the Season of Lent – the great season of conversion and transformation in our lives as individuals and as faith communities – my hope is that we will utilize the contemporary insights of Robert K. Greenleaf – the Wisdom of Scripture and Tradition – and the current need of our society - in becoming, as Christians, faithful stewards of the contemporary city – seeing the city through the lens of faith.
What does Scripture have to say?
One of my favorites is St. Paul’s letter to the Philippians Chapter 2: 5 in which he says, “ Have among yourself the same attitude that is also yours in Christ Jesus… who… did not regard equality with God something to be grasped… rather emptying himself, taking the form of a servant.”
The Gospel of John reflects Jesus’ attitude in the washing of the disciples’ feet. “If I therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another’s feet. I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you should also do.” John13: 14-15.
Humility is allowing ourselves to recognize first our dependence on God – emptying ourselves in order for the Church (the Body of Christ -) to more readily allow the disposition or attitude of Christ to become part our life, so that as St. Paul says, “it is no longer I that live, but Christ in me.”?
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