Servant Leadership
Exercise or Practice
Put the group into smaller groups.
Build the longest bridge as a team out of newspaper (or any paper) and tape.
Must hold an item at the end of allocated time.
Reflections on exercise.
Who took the lead?
Who stood back?
Who thought about it before starting?
Who jumped in?
Who was stressed?
Who was calm?
Who encouraged and who criticized?
Reading
Romans 12:4-8 MSG
In this way we are like the various parts of a human body. Each part gets its meaning from the body as a whole, not the other way around. The body we’re talking about is Christ’s body of chosen people. Each of us finds our meaning and function as a part of his body. But as a chopped-off finger or cut-off toe we wouldn’t amount to much, would we? So since we find ourselves fashioned into all these excellently formed and marvelously functioning parts in Christ’s body, let’s just go ahead and be what we were made to be, without enviously or pridefully comparing ourselves with each other, or trying to be something we aren’t.
If you preach, just preach God’s Message, nothing else; if you help, just help, don’t take over; if you teach, stick to your teaching; if you give encouraging guidance, be careful that you don’t get bossy; if you’re put in charge, don’t manipulate; if you’re called to give aid to people in distress, keep your eyes open and be quick to respond; if you work with the disadvantaged, don’t let yourself get irritated with them or depressed by them. Keep a smile on your face.
Content
Core Learning - Leaders Care
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
'Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their labor:
If either of them falls down,
one can help the other up.
But pity anyone who falls
and has no one to help them up.
Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
But how can one keep warm alone?
Though one may be overpowered,
two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.'
God is even a team, He is made up of three people. If God has to be more than one then how could we ever think we can do it on our own.
The disciples were all different and made up the team Jesus chose to work with.
Q - Why do you think they were all so different even though they all wanted the same thing?
This is why working as a team is so important, we will never have the impact we can alone.
Just like if one player went against a team in any sport, they would surely lose.
Pastoral Care is something we all do as leaders.
This is where we take interest in how people are going and how we can care for them. We dont just take care of oursleves as leaders but we also look for who is in need of support and care.
Like the story of the paralysed man and how his friends carried him to Jesus. At times we all need carrying and at other points we are the ones who help carry.
Leaders understand we rise and fall on the strength of our team, therefore care and support each other to the best of our ability.
If one person loses, we all lose.
There is no space for a competitive spirit among a team working together for the things of God. To feel the need to compete with each other shows you feel the need to win. When you feel the need to win it shows you feel the need for someone else to lose.
Teams that work best in the ways of God look for the areas of need and help raise them up in a loving and non-judgmental way. When one wins, we all win, when one loses, we all lose.
Prayer.