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SUPPORTING RESOURCES Books: Servant Leadership. Servants Together. IN DISCUSSION Take time to discuss the following, remembering to include reference to the suggested Scripture and how it relates to the topic (see page 03 of the In Service book): 1. Why is there no better example of servanthood than Jesus? Philippians 2:5-11 2. Consider what it meant for Jesus to be ‘obedient to death’. Philippians 2:8; John 6:38-40; John 10:11-18 3. Discuss the concept of God being a servant. How does this translate in your culture? Luke 22:24-27; 2 Corinthians 8:9 4. Although Jesus called himself a servant, why was his spiritual authority not damaged or lessened? Mark 1:22; John 14:23, 24; John 13:13, 14; Mark 8:27-29 Activity Ideas •• Read the passage from Servants Together (see text on page 09). •• Imagine that the corps officer is unwell, and the corps sergeant-major has been asked to run the corps. He decides to call a meeting of all the local officers to plan the way ahead for the corps. What kind of things might he say as a good servant leader? What kind of things might he say which would not be good servant leadership? You could develop this into role plays – remembering that each of the local officers is also a leader. How could each be valued? •• Read the four passages from Servant in service
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Leadership (see text on pages 09-11). •• Graham Kendrick has written the wellknown song ‘The Servant King (From Heaven you Came)’, referring to Jesus who, although King, came ‘not to be served but to serve’. Some of the words are: So let us learn how to serve, And in our lives enthrone him; 01 Each other’s needs to prefer, For it is Christ we’re serving. If you have access to the song, you could sing it together, or perhaps listen to it on a CD. It is also to be found in the 2015 edition of the Salvation Army Song Book. IN PRAYER Pray that the servant heart of Jesus will be yours too. Dear Lord, we thank you for the example of Jesus in showing us how to live as your servants. Forgive us for the times when we have used power or authority in a wrong way. Help us to be more like Jesus. SESSION OUTCOMES •• Recognising that Jesus is the supreme example of servanthood. •• Understanding that being a servant leader does not mean being a weak leader. •• Understanding that identifying with others leads to greater spiritual authority. •• Recognising that servanthood is a way of life.
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SERVING GOD SUPPORTING RESOURCES Books: Called to be God’s People. Mapping our Salvationist DNA. Heroes of the Faith.
IN DISCUSSION Take time to discuss the following (see page 05 of the In Service book): 1. What does it mean to serve only God? Deuteronomy 6:13; Matthew 4:10 2. Why can’t we serve both God and 02 money? Matthew 6:24; 1 Timothy 6:10; Mark 10:17-27 3. Identify distorted or mistaken ways in which people think they are serving God. Isaiah 1:13-17; Mark 10:13, 14; Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 9:51-56; Mark 9:38-40; John 16:2 4. Consider the line of the song, ‘serving Christ my one desire’. How can we achieve this? Colossians 3:23, 24; John 12:26; John 6:66-69; John 21:15-22 Activity Ideas •• Read the passage from Mapping our Salvationist DNA (see text on page 11). •• Read the passage from Called to be God’s People (see text on page 12). •• ‘By choosing to serve [God] our lives become far more enriched than if we were to selfishly seek our own ends.’ Ask members of the group to share any experiences which have proved this to be true. •• Read the story of Gunpei Yamamuro on pages 81-91 of Heroes of the Faith, Derek Elvin, Salvation Books. in service
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SERVING OTHERS SUPPORTING RESOURCES Books: The General Next to God. The Life and Ministry of William Booth. The Man Perfectly Filled with the Spirit.
A leading Japanese historian said of him, ‘He could have reached high positions in the realms of finance, politics or education. But he chose the path of service to the common people.’ When he became an officer he determined to live very simply and refused to take all of his monthly allowance, feeling that poverty and simple living were the mark of a Salvationist. His wife came from a noble and wealthy family, but she also gladly accepted a life of poverty in order to win people to Christ. IN PRAYER Pray that your commitment to serving God will be worthy of his commitment to you. Dear Lord, we thank you that you are totally committed to serving us, and helping us to become like Jesus. Open our eyes to see anything in our lives which we are putting ahead of our commitment to you. Help us to put you first in everything. SESSION OUTCOMES •• Acknowledging that God wants us to put him first in our lives. •• Recognising that it is not possible to have divided loyalties. •• Understanding that to put God first means that we obey him. •• Understanding that to put God first leads to the best life for us and for others.
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IN DISCUSSION Take time to discuss the following (see page 07 of the In Service book): 1. Why is a Salvationist said to be ‘saved to serve’? What does it mean? Mark 16:15; Matthew 9:36-38; Matthew 25:40; 1 Peter 4:8-10* 2. Why do you think Peter objected to Jesus serving him? Would we have done the same? John 13:8-14 3. What reason does Paul give for serving others? Do we do and feel the same? 1 Corinthians 9:19 4. Which do enjoy the most – serving or being served? Why? Philippians 2:1-4; Galatians 5:13 * The reference from 1 Peter in the In Discussion question 1 may lead to debate about what gifts a person has. The topic of gifts is an important one in itself. There is further reference to this topic in the next section. There is some helpful material in chapters 22 and 23 of The Man Perfectly Filled with the Spirit (John Larsson, IHQ) and I Believe in the Holy Spirit (Michael Green, Hodder and Stoughton). Activity Ideas •• Share this story from The General Next to God, about Samuel Logan Brengle, the in service
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great teacher of holiness in the Army’s early days. It was while studying for the ministry at Boston University’s School 03 for Theology that he first encountered the Army. He gave up the prospect of ministry in large churches and travelled to London to enter the training college. One of his first assignments was to clean the boots of the other cadets. At first he thought ‘Why should I do this? I am an educated person and could be preaching to large congregations.’ Then he remembered how Jesus washed the feet of the disciples, and he realised it was a privilege to serve Jesus by doing this boot-cleaning task (see The General Next to God, Salvo Three, page 72, Crest Books). •• A song by Richard Gillard captures well the idea of service being a two-way act. The words of the first verse are: Brother, sister, let me serve you, Let me be as Christ to you; Pray that I might have the grace to Let you be my servant too. •• You may be able to find the words on the Internet and sing the song. It is also included in the 2015 edition of the Salvation Army Song Book. •• Look in your own copy of the Song Book for songs that speak about service. •• Ask members of the group to share any – serving others one
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example they know of a person with authority or leadership serving someone ‘under’ them. •• Ask members of the group when they have personally experienced being served by a leader or someone with authority. In what ways has this happened? •• In an ordinary corps situation, what kind of opportunities might there be for serving one another? How could this be encouraged and increased?
SESSION OUTCOMES •• Understanding that serving others has always been at the heart of being a Salvationist. •• Recognising that leadership involves servanthood. •• Understanding that being a Christian involves both giving service to others and receiving service from others.
IN PRAYER Ask God to help you receive with graciousness the service of others as you live to serve others too. Dear Lord, we recognise that it is a privilege to serve others in the name of Christ. Open our eyes to opportunities that come our way, and help us to take them gladly. May we also be ready to receive the service of others, and to do so with grace.
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SUPPORTING RESOURCES Books: Servant Leadership
IN DISCUSSION Take time to discuss the following (see page 09 of the In Service book): 1. Duty is an early biblical concept. Discuss the place of duty in a Christian fellowship. 2 Chronicles 8:14; Luke 17:10 2. In what ways can the desire for praise and recognition spoil our service for God? Matthew 6:1-4; Luke 18:9-14; Mark 10:35-40 3. ‘The kingdom of heaven is its own aim and reward.’ What does this mean and what are its implications for our motives for service? Matthew 20:1-16; Matthew 5:3; Matthew 6:5 4. ‘There can be no greater privilege than being able to use the gifts and abilities God has given us in his service.’ Consider the wonder of this privilege. Romans 12:6-8; 2 Timothy 1:6 Activity Ideas •• Imagine you are a corps secretary, and also a bandsman and songster. You also lead meetings from time to time. You meet someone who is not a Christian, and he asks you about what you do in the Army. He is astonished that you do not get paid for any of this. How would you respond? •• Sometimes people feel that they do not have any gift or talent that could be used for God’s service. Think about how you will handle this in the in service
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group. It is important to emphasise that everyone has at least one gift (1 Corinthians 12:4-7). Some are mentioned in Scripture. Sometimes other people can see that someone has a certain gift, which they may not have recognised themselves. You could ask 05 them what they enjoy doing or what they think they might like to try. This sometimes gives indication of where their gifting lies. •• In Song 485 of The Song Book of The Salvation Army (1986 edition), the writer, Anna Laetitia Waring, expresses the prayer that she might be ‘content to fill a little space’ so long as God is glorified. Discuss what this means. •• You may like to use a prayer of Saint Ignatius Loyola – the son of a noble Spanish family in the 16th century. His early ambition was to be a military soldier, but at the age of 30 he was converted and caught a vision of a new pattern of life in the service of Christ. His prayer reads: Teach us, good Lord, to serve you as you deserve; to give and not to count the cost; to fight and not to heed the wounds; to toil and not to seek for rest; to labour and not to ask for any reward, except that of knowing that we do your will; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Read ‘Me!’ on page 24 of Servant Leadership.
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UNWORTHY SERVANTS
IN PRAYER Pray that you may more fully understand the unparalleled privilege of being able to use your God-given gifts for him. Pray that you will never expect special reward for simply doing what is right. Father God, we thank you for your 06 generosity towards us in giving us gifts for service and granting us a place in your Kingdom. Help us to be truly thankful, and to be aware of the privilege of serving you as we use our gifts.
SESSION OUTCOMES •• Understanding that there is nothing we can do to deserve a place in Heaven – we are given this by the grace of God. •• Understanding that we all have talents and gifts from God that we should use in his service without expecting any reward. •• Understanding that serving God is a privilege as well as a duty.
SUPPORTING RESOURCES Books: Servants Together. Servant Leadership.
IN DISCUSSION Take time to discuss the following (see page 11 of the In Service book): 1. In what ways does Jesus – whose name is above every name – still serve us? How and why does he do it? Hebrews 7:25; Philippians 4:5-7; Matthew 28:20; Matthew 7:7, 8 2. Compare a loving parent’s care for a child with God’s ongoing care for us. Matthew 7:9-11; Isaiah 49:15 3. Consider the importance of remembering that Christ is Lord, and not taking his kindness for granted. John 13:16 4. Serving one another in love is a great ideal. How can we ensure we do it? Galatians 5:13 Activity Ideas •• What is the difference between serving one another in love and serving without love? Imagine some examples of each. •• Ask members of the group to share experiences of when someone else has served them in love. •• Consider that we need to ‘be Jesus’ to others and to ‘see Jesus’ in others. Imagine that a very poor person comes into the corps hall in the middle of a meeting. He looks very thin and his clothes are in poor condition. How
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would you ‘be Jesus’ to him and ‘see Jesus’ in him? •• Read ‘Other People’ on pages 26 and 27 07 of Servant Leadership. IN PRAYER Jesus continues to serve our needs by his love. Pray he will help us all to ‘serve one another in love’. Father God, we thank you for your ongoing care and love for us in Jesus. Thank you for his presence in our lives. As we seek to be like him, help us always to be ready to serve one another in love. SESSION OUTCOMES •• Understanding that Jesus is still with us by his Spirit. •• Understanding that Jesus still serves us by being our companion, guide and friend and by interceding for us. •• Understanding that we should follow his example and serve others in love.
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REFERENCED RESOURCES one rmy
one rmy CHAPTER 11 ‘True Leadership’, 6. ‘Servanthood’, pp 134, 135 in Servants Together.
REFERENCED RESOURCES FOR THIS UNIT This unit relates in part to doctrines 2, 4 and 9
BOOKS The book Servant Leadership, by Robert Street, takes up this theme. It has been translated into more than a dozen languages, and is a useful supplementary aid. It is available from IHQ and trade departments throughout the world. Servants Together, Salvation Books, also takes up this theme and amplifies on the lessons considered for this unit (e.g. ‘Servanthood’, p 134) Servant Leadership, chapter 3, ‘Made himself nothing’ Servant Leadership, chapter 1, ‘Taking the very nature of a servant’ Servant Leadership, chapter 6, ‘Became obedient’ 08 Servant Leadership, chapter 2, ‘As one having authority’ Mapping our Salvationist DNA, Steve Hedgren and Rob Lyle, Chapter 16, ‘A Call to a life of sacrifice and stewardship’ pp 96-98, USA Eastern Called to be God’s People, ‘Call to our Life in the World’, p 65 Song 522, ‘Saviour, if my feet have faltered’, in the 1986 edition of The Song Book of The Salvation Army When William Booth had room for only one word on his transatlantic telegram to Salvationists he chose the word ‘others’ The Life and Ministry of William Booth, Roger J. Green, p 14, Abingdon Press To get more out of parables, see Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes, Kenneth E. Bailey, ‘Introduction to the parables’, pp 279-282, SPCK, London, UK The Gospel in Brief, Leo Tolstoy, Chapter VIII, pp 155-157, Darton, Longman and Todd, London, UK ADDITIONAL RECOMMENDED RESOURCES Heroes of the Faith, Derek Elvin, Salvation Books, IHQ The General Next to God, Crest Books, USA The Man Perfectly Filled with the Spirit, John Larsson, IHQ I Believe in the Holy Spirit, Michael Green, Hodder and Stoughton WEBSITES www.salvationarmy.org/onearmy www.salvationarmyspirituallife.org
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@TSAOneArmy What resources would you add? Let us know by emailing OneArmy@salvationarmy.org or visit www.salvationarmy.org/ onearmy/resources
A servant leader is one who sits at the feet and travels in the company of the one who said, ‘whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant’ (Mark 10:43). When leadership is seen as the ability to use power to get one’s way, the concept of ‘servant leadership’ is a contradiction in terms. From a biblical perspective, however, it is a perfect fit. Jesus, of course, is the model. Think of the foot washing (John 13:1-17), of his voluntarily taking the form of a servant (literally, ‘slave’), of his declaration that, ‘If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all’ (Mark 9:35). Jesus said of himself, ‘I am among you as one who serves’ (Luke 22:27). Servant leadership is not weak leadership. It is the most powerful of all. Servant leaders discover power by giving it up. They refuse to use their positions to control people or to use them as stepping stones. They enhance power by sharing it with others. Like Jesus, they use their authority to authorise others. The power of servanthood is the only power that builds an enduring Kingdom. It really is the meek who will inherit the earth (Matthew 5:5). Servanthood is the mission of the Church. It is the calling that pervades all callings. It is not true that some leaders are called to be servants while others are not. All callings are exercised by servants, or they are degraded. Prophets who are not servants become arrogant and thus their message is easily dismissed. Priests who are not servants become obsessed with their positions and thus their ministry is only self-service. Pastors who are not servants become manipulative and thus their help is not helpful. The calling to servanthood is decisive for the realisation of all callings.
Inside and outside the Church, the everpresent temptation for leaders is power intoxication. To avoid this, they must take their authority seriously and exercise their power responsibly, but they must not be captivated by it. They understand that the power entrusted to them is the power to empower others. 3. ‘Made himself nothing’, pp 10, 11 in Servant Leadership. How does God make himself ‘nothing’? ….. The truth that people keep trying to express is that God in Jesus identified totally with us. He put aside the majesty that would have separated him from us and embraced our world, living among us, sharing our hopes, fears and daily life. What does this say to us? It says that Jesus couldn’t have shared the necessary closeness with us without putting his own comforts aside to become a servant. He did it to identify with us – to be one of us and to show that he was for us. You can’t do that so well from a distance. Jesus made himself vulnerable and he put his own interests last. The ‘nothing’ which he became has made an indescribable ‘something’ of an impact on the people he came to serve. A servant leader cannot ‘stand on his dignity’ and rule from a distance. A servant leader identifies with his or her people – even the difficult ones – and seeks to love and forgive them as Jesus did (and still does with us).
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1. ‘Taking the very nature of a servant’, pp 6, 7 in Servant Leadership. We have only to look at Jesus to see that servanthood is at the heart of Christianity…but we each know that servant leadership doesn’t come naturally to most people. We have to make a conscious effort to put our own interests to the back of our priorities and learn how to identify and meet the needs of others. Jesus said so (Mark 9:33-35) and Jesus showed us how. The most often quoted example of Jesus expressing his servanthood is at the Last Supper when he washed his disciples’ feet (John 13:1-17). He had more than enough 10 to keep his mind and emotions occupied. His trial and crucifixion were only hours away, but he knew his disciples still hadn’t learned or understood their lessons on servanthood. They had even been quarrelling again as to who was the greatest (Luke 22:24). It’s a problem that still exists in communities and organisations throughout the world, because all groups are made up of people. The disciples needed one last lesson – a practical. 6. ‘Became obedient’, pp 16, 17 in Servant Leadership. Obedience is not popular. The concept of ‘obeying’ someone else in today’s egalitarian society is largely resisted. Having to obey is seen by many as demeaning, ignoring the self-worth and rights of the one who serves. It is a shortsighted attitude. Without rules, obedience and duty, there would be no order in the world. Industry, governments and families rely on them. Scripture says that God in Christ was leader’s manual
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‘obedient’. This was a startling concept when it was introduced. How could God Almighty become obedient – to whom, and why? It is in this action that the servant heart of God is seen most clearly.
them not to abuse it (v 8). This is no light matter. To be commissioned by God to do his work in his name means the work should be done honestly, thoroughly and with integrity. It is the same today as then.
Jesus was pledged to obey his Father’s will to the last letter in order to save the world. (John 3:16, 17) He became ‘obedient to death – even death on a cross’ (Philippians 2:8). No one should assume this was a formality or easy for Jesus. Scripture shows something of his pain.
Being a servant leader doesn’t mean relinquishing the authority God has given. To be the servant of Christ means that you fulfil the leadership role he has given you and that you do it using the authority he has given. In an age when leaders have to ‘earn respect’ and there is generally less regard for those in authority, the temptation not to embrace God-given authority or dismiss it as irrelevant for today, could be real.
On the evening of his crucifixion Jesus is found praying: ‘Now my heart is troubled, and what shall I say? “Father, save me from this hour?” No, it was for this very reason that I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name!’ (John 12:27). Jesus obeyed – and was crucified. When a person accepts Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour it follows that such a person plans to do God’s will. The Salvation Army’s ninth doctrine says that ‘continuance in a state of salvation depends upon continued obedient faith in Christ’. Salvationists are pledged to obey the one who obeyed. It is the same for servant leaders. Each Christian leader must also be a follower, a disciple. As a leader gives God’s word to the people, anticipating obedience to the law of Christ, the leader must also first give adherence to what is being preached or taught. 2. ‘As one having authority’, pp 8, 9 in Servant Leadership. When Jesus sent out his disciples to do his work – when he commissioned his first leaders – he gave them authority (Matthew 10:1). He gave them his authority and told
Jesus – our supreme example of servanthood – spoke and acted with authority. It was his authority that established his ministry. ‘The people were amazed at his teaching,’ says Mark, ‘because he taught them as one who had authority’ (1:22). If a Christian leader doesn’t inwardly experience that authority, isn’t sure that he or she has God’s authority, his or her leadership will be weakened and problems will follow. Servant leadership isn’t weak leadership. Servant leaders don’t lead if they allow people to ‘walk all over them’. They express their servanthood to God by being firm with others when required to do so, and by being strong and courageous when attacked on matters of principles and faith. They are servants first of all to God. Mapping our Salvationist DNA, pp 96, 97. Most officers and soldiers of The Salvation Army have at some point had the opportunity to explain to an enquirer what the S’s on their uniform stand for. The typical answer, offered with a holy pride, is
that they signify that we are ‘saved to serve’ or ‘saved to save’ those who do not know the love of Jesus. However, we could just as easily sum up our calling as Salvationists by answering that the S’s represent the words sacrifice and stewardship; these are qualities Jesus requires of all who claim to know Him and are faithfully waiting for His return. Regarding the issue of self-sacrifice, followers of Christ are challenged daily by the Master’s words in Matthew 10:38, 39: ‘And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for my sake will find it’ (NKJV). As for the wise use of God’s resources, the words of our Lord in Luke 12:43 describe so vividly what lies in store for those who are faithful in this area: ‘Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes’ (NKJV). Our Lord Jesus gave great prominence to the ideas of sacrifice and stewardship, and so did William Booth, who made these ideas critical to the growth and development of the early Salvation Army…. The careful use of personal and corporate resources has been a mainstay of the Army from its inception…. As important as these two fundamental principles have been in the Army’s past, they will be even more critical to its effectiveness in the future. But because the Army has been blessed mightily by abundant resources and an abiding public trust, the temptation for these guiding principles to be lost from our view and lifestyle is an ever-present leader’s manual
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one rmy danger. Ironically, if the Army is to enjoy blessing and success, all Salvationists must be willing to commit themselves to the lifestyle that Jesus himself displayed, namely one of self-sacrifice and careful stewardship of such blessings. ‘Call to our Life in the World’, p 65 in Called to be God’s People (the whole chapter – too long to reproduce here – is well worth reading). We call Salvationists worldwide to commit themselves and their gifts to the salvation of the world, and to embrace servanthood, expressing it through the joy of self-giving and the discipline of Christlike living. 12 We affirm that commitment to Christ requires the offering of our lives in simplicity, submission and service. Practising simplicity we become people whose witness to the world is expressed by the values we live by, as well as by the message we proclaim. This leads to service which is a self-giving for the salvation and healing of a hurting world, as well as a prophetic witness in the face of social injustice.
leader’s manual
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