The Servant
Leader
A book
for leaders—present and future
by Shawn Cohen
Although serving others lies at the heart of ministry,
leadership is also an essential ingredient of passing on the
hope and passion of your relationship with Christ to present
and future generations of believers. However, many people—even
ministry leaders—sometimes abuse their leadership position
and make it a device to meet their own needs. Yet Ken Blanchard
and Phil Hodges challenge such self-centeredness in their book
The Servant Leader: Transforming Your Heart, Head, Hands,
and Habits.
Evaluating
Your Leadership Perspective
In The Servant Leader, Blanchard and Hodges have
combined a treasure trove of Scriptures, poignant thoughts, and
challenging questions that any believer will find helpful in
his or her relationship with others. The book is meant to be
read meditatively—while there isn’t a lot of text,
the authors have constructed the chapters as an aid to hearing
from God on the many issues a leader faces every day. While it
is part devotional, The Servant Leader is also motivational because
it offers practical steps of action that any ministry-minded
leader can implement in his or her daily life.
Making Servant-Leadership
Practical
Apart from citing myriad Scripture verses in The
Servant Leader, Blanchard and Hodges show a knack for cutting to
a leader’s heart issues through carefully-formulated questions.
For example, to show the relevancy of the gospel to modern work
and ministry environments, the authors ask businesspeople “Would
you hire Jesus?” They then follow up this probing question
with insights that motivate readers to evaluate their perspective
in light of Scriptural truth.
The Servant Leader comprises six chapters, one of which is introductory
and the last is a helpful conclusion offering insights that take
the reader beyond the concepts introduced in the book. The four
middle chapters, however, are titled “Heart,” “Head,” “Hands,” and “Habits,” thus
emphasizing the source and progression of true ministry in and
through God’s servants.
Here are some basic points from The Servant Leader’s cumulative middle chapters:
Heart
Pride and fear are heart issues that inhibit a leader from serving
those under his or her care. Blanchard and Hodges offer wisdom
from Scripture and the life of Jesus to challenge readers in
rising above these areas of self-centeredness.
Head
The authors define what it means to have an eternal vision
as well as how leaders can implement that vision in the lives
of those
under their jurisdiction.
Hands
In this chapter, Blanchard and Hodges imply that the hands
are a figurative picture of action. Action, however, often
produces
change and change, although inevitable, is often difficult
for people to swallow. Here, The Servant Leader lays out
steps of
action for implementing God-directed change and how to
make it more palatable for the people affected by it.
Habits
Patterns of personal holiness are a large factor in effectively
becoming a servant leader. The authors encourage leaders
to cultivate an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ
by engaging in times
of solitude and prayer with Him as a foundation for properly
leading others.
Moving
Beyond the Book
The concluding chapter of The Servant Leader offers
a myriad of Scriptures and exhortations that help the readers continue
in the patterns of servant-leadership presented in the book. Believers
and unbelievers alike have witnessed too many self-serving leaders
as well as the fallout that results from their earth-shattering
and tragic downfalls. However, Blanchard’s and Hodges’ The
Servant Leader offers a fresh perspective on the example of leadership
set by our Lord Jesus Christ as well as His true servants. As Paul
says in Romans 15:4, these patterns of servant-leadership are written
for our learning. And all believers—whether current or future
leaders—will do well to emulate these examples in the many
challenges they face in daily life.
The Servant Leader by Ken Blanchard and Phil Hodges
is available for purchase from Global Learning Strategies
Library. Click
here to view and purchase this and other valuable
resources.
Have you ever read The Servant Leader?
If you have any positive testimonies regarding its impact yon
you life, let us know
your
thoughts
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