BIBLICAL INTEGRATION PROJECT ASSIGNMENT 1
Biblical Integration Project Assignment
Holly Keith
Servant Leadership, Liberty University
April 5, 2024
Author Note
Holly Keith
I have no known conflict of interests to disclose.
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Holly Keith.
Email: [email protected]
BIBLICAL INTEGRATION PROJECT ASSIGNMENT 2
Abstract
There is an ongoing debate about if leadership is a characteristic that people are born with, or if
leadership can be learned. Servant leadership is not a natural characteristic because it requires
someone to put others above themselves and people are naturally selfish because everyone is
born a sinner. Servant leadership can be attained by two different methods: man-centered or
Christ-centered. Both exemplify a group focus rather than a personal focus. The key difference is
the reason behind why leaders choose to live this way. A man-centered, or worldly, servant
leader seeks to please other men. Christ-centered servant leaders seek to please God. From an
outside perspective, they can look similar but there are fundamental differences that distinguish
the two.
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What is a Servant Leader?
Servant leaders believe “that his/her highest priority is service to others in order to fulfill
their needs, rather than fulfilling his or her personal needs” (Canavesi & Minelli, 2021, p. 268).
In the 1970s, Robert K. Greenleaf first coined the term servant leadership. His essay “The
Servant as Leader” described an ethical style of leadership that focused more on people and less
on profits. A leader that is ‘servant first’ encourages the people under them to follow willingly
because they know that their boss is not asking them to do anything that they would not do first.
Blanchard and Broadwell list ten characteristics that servant leaders possess, these include: good
listening skills, ability to empathize, strength in healing, self-awareness, dependence on
persuasion, ability to conceptualize, good foresight, stewardship, commitment to helping people
grow, and community building (2018). These traits can help identify people who have the heart
and mind of a servant leader.
Man-Centered Servant Leadership
While “man-centered servant leadership” is not a common term, this is often used in
congruence with servant leadership. Instead of the Holy Spirit being a moral guide, these servant
leaders use personal convictions and their own ideas of what it means to be a good person to
make decisions. Sessoms describes contemporary servant leaders as demonstrating kindness,
compassion, and integrity (2021), but they lack a greater purpose for doing so. Servant
leadership differs from traditional leadership in that traditional leadership puts the CEO, or boss,
at the top of the company and everyone under them aims to please them. Servant leadership is
the opposite, like an upside-down pyramid, which displays the people at the top serving their
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downline all the way through the company (Lyon, 2018). Man-centered servant leadership is
used to persuade people to work hard for the company because the company cares.
Christ-Centered Servant Leadership
Christ-centered servant leadership follows the same organizational structure as man-
centered servant leadership, but the differences lie in the reason. When Jesus was on earth, He
did not teach about servant leadership, He was the prime example of a servant leader. The
willingness of Jesus to be crucified for man’s sin is probably the most beautiful depiction of what
it means to be a servant leader. He was perfect, He never sinned, but He chose to lay down His
life so that man could have a relationship with God. He lived among people rather than above
people (Crowther, 2018). Jesus was and is the highest level of authority, greater than any king
and He could have commanded that people serve Him and honor Him. Instead, He humbled
Himself and served His disciples as an example for how people should live. John 13:5 says
“After that, he [Jesus] poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying
them with the towel that was wrapped around him (New King James Bible, 1982/2016). A
Christ-centered servant leader follows the example of Jesus’ life by serving others to ultimately
glorify God. A covenantal perspective of leadership can mold daily actions (Fischer, 2010a).
How Can Servant Leadership Be Practiced Today?
According to Johnson-Blake there are two roles of a servant leader: visionary and
implementation (2023). Every decision made and action taken have consequences, but they also
have an original purpose. A servant leader must have a purpose. A man-centered servant leader’s
purpose may be to motivate employees to generate profit for the company. A Christ-centered
servant leader’s purpose is to honor God and worship Him through work. Purpose leads to vision
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and vision leads to action (Johnson-Blake, 2023). Any action taken in a business setting must
first consider that every team, department, or project is working together (Fischer, 2010b). A
servant leader not only puts his or her team first, but the company.
How to Practice Christ-Centered Servant Leadership Today
The entire first chapter of Leadership in Christian Perspective (Irving & Strauss, 2019)
focuses on modeling servant leadership. Some of the themes are modeling integrity,
responsibility, investment, and empowerment. The aspect of modeling these key components of
a successful business is crucial because servant leadership is a method to influence how people
think and not control how they act. Lyon states “Investing in others will help build an
organization” (2018). Bob Kierlin, one of the founders of the Fastenal Company, showed his
employees his investment in their success by taking several cost-cutting measures. While this
could have seemed unnecessary and extreme from an outside perspective, it created generous
profits for employees and investors while simultaneously providing great service and low costs
for customers (Irving & Strauss, 2019).
Conclusion
Servant leadership builds trust in companies and can lead to positive relationships
forming among co-workers (Saleem et al., 2020). Trust is earned over time and a servant leader
must find personal motivation to take the time to allow people to trust them and listen to them.
The best motivation is glorifying God and there will never be a shortage of the joy that it can
bring. Servant leadership can be a great business advantage, but Christ-centered servant
leadership can be a great life advantage.
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References
Blanchard, K. H., & Broadwell, R. (2018). Servant leadership in action: How you can achieve
great relationships and results. Polvera Publishing.
Canavesi, A., & Minelli, E. (2021). Servant leadership: a systematic literature review and
network analysis. Employee Responsibilities and Rights Journal, 34, 267-289.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10672-021-09381-3
Crowther, S. (2018). Biblical servant leadership: an exploration of leadership for the
contemporary context. Palgrave Macmillan.
Fischer, K. (2010a). BUSI 502: Biblical leadership. Week one, video one. Liberty University.
https://canvas.liberty.edu/courses/573340/pages/watch-biblical-leadership?
module_item_id=64861528
Fischer, K. (2010b). BUSI 502: Personal application. Week two, video two. Liberty University.
https://canvas.liberty.edu/courses/573340/pages/watch-personal-application?
module_item_id=64861641
Irving, J. A. & Strauss, M. L. (2019). Leadership in Christian perspective: biblical foundations
and contemporary practices for servant leaders. Baker Academic.
Johnson-Blake, D. (2023). BUSI 502: The head of a servant leader. Week three, PowerPoint
one. Liberty University. https://canvas.liberty.edu/courses/573340/files/101524435?
module_item_id=64861750
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Lyon, A. (2018). BUSI 502: Communication Coach Alex Lyon – Servant leadership. Week
three, video one. Liberty University.
https://canvas.liberty.edu/courses/573340/pages/watch-communication-coach-alex-lyon-
servant-leadership?module_item_id=64861758
New King James Bible. (2016). Thomas Nelson.
(Original work published 1982)
Saleem, F., Zhang, Y. Z., Gopinath, C., & Adeel, A. (2020). Impact of servant leadership on
performance: the mediating role of affective and cognitive trust. Sage Open, 10(1).
https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244019900562
Sessoms, R. (2021). Servant leadership and Christ-centered leadership: is there a difference?
Freedom to Lead. https://freedomtolead.net/servant-leadership-and-christ-centered-
leadership-is-there-a-difference/
