The genesis of Transformational servant leadership is found in Christianity. According to Imbenzi, Williaume and Page (2013) Greenleaf (1970) resolve is “Servant leader being servant first and foremost based on the foundation set by Jesus”.  Oliver I appreciate your thoughtful approach in this reflection. You have provided a great platform for in-depth dialogue.  You have rightly stated “The church, if no other organization, should place emphasis in serving and investing in the growth of people”.  You also mentioned churches main focuses at times being growth, numbers, budget and finances, which in isolation of Jesus’ expectation is purposeless. The church has a defined mission given by Jesus as clearly stated by Matthew 28 verses 18-20, to help people to become followers of Jesus and to teach them to be obedient to his teachings:

18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples  of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Is success measurable within the church? Surely. Measuring churches’ success becomes difficult when measures are not aligned with mission of the church. Who or what are we measuring? Jesus’ measurement of results were both quantitative and qualitative. He had 12 disciples who he trained. Jesus charged us to: 1. Make disciples and 2. Teach them to obey his teachings. Jesus not only asked us to make disciples and continue to teach them, he demonstrated how it should be accomplished throughout the Bible.  He constantly had practical sessions with his 12 disciples, he had follow-up sessions, evaluations, affirmation, corrections, reassurance, fun time (lots of boat rides), fishing, teaching Peter how to ski (walking on water) and the list goes on.

You also provided an excellent example of strategic leadership regarding Christian Ministry when you mentioned “In some cases, churches may look foolish to others as they cut a program that appears to be thriving, or is bringing in significant revenue, but is not helping lead and grow people into mature disciples of Christ”. According to Galbraith (2014) strategy is set so people in the organization know how to guide their own behaviour and make choices. Sometimes, strategic decisions may look different from the outside, but is important for leaders to keep the vision clear even when it is challenging. In the case of Christian ministry, it is not only about short-term implications rather eternal ones.

Your last paragraph was very insightful, what a creative way to communicate the message! Although strategic leadership may be positive, when it comes to ministry it may be limited. Another challenge I find is the quality of the results obtained. For instance, a church may be growing and meeting strategic goals, but is the congregation growing spiritually and becoming more like Jesus? It is important to have a clear Godly vision while coming with strategy. According to Moss, R. G. (2014) many times churches have a backwards process, establishing plans first and then spending significant time looking for God’s guidance. When it comes to church it is always working under God’s vision and principles, even though they may look different from “modern strategies”.

One of the take-aways from the course “Results Based Leadership” is the understanding and appreciation of the need to expect results. “If we are uncertain of what we are measuring then we are likely to fail in achieving results” (Atha, 2018). The church therefore needs to hold to its given mission, apply strategies relevant to the mission and according to the outlined biblical principles.

References

Atha, D. (2018). Results Based Leadership Course. Trinity Western University. Summer 2018.

Bible Hub (2018). Retrieve from https://biblehub.com/matthew/28-19.htm

Galbraith, J. R. (2014). Designing organizations. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Imbenzi, G., Williaume, D. & Page, D. (2013). Transformational servant leadership. Unpublished manuscript, Master of Arts in Leadership. Trinity Western University: Langley, Canada.

Moss, R. G. (2014). Neighborhood Church: God’s Vision of Success. [Place of publication not identified]: Wipf and Stock Publishers. Retrieved from https://ezproxy.student.twu.ca/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=864818&site=eds-live