Servant leaders choose to lead by serving and serve by leading. Their concern isn’t praise or prestige. They do not focus on accolades and personal kingdom building. They recognize that service to God and others drives what they do.

Jesus, more than anyone, exhibited the true spirit of servant leadership. He contrasted it with the leadership of the Pharisees, and said to His disciples, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:42-45).

What does it look like to be a servant leader? That’s the focus of this edition of Make It Count. We will explore eight qualities of servant leaders:

Jesus, more than anyone, exhibited the true spirit of servant leadership.

• Service
• Humility
• Listening
• Compassion
• Stewardship
• Influence
• Vision
• Empowerment

As you and your team cultivate these qualities and practices, servant leadership will become ingrained in your life and culture. As you read each lesson, engage in discussion and apply each principle, allow the roots of servant leadership to grow deep within you. The difference it makes will shape who you are as a leader, the engagement of your team, and the realization of the vision God has entrusted to all of you.

This eight-week study, which appears in the September/October issue of Influence magazine, is now available online as a free download. Church leaders can print multiple complimentary copies of this resource and use it to promote development, spark discussion and inspire vision among team members.

The online resource also includes a fill-in-the-blank guide for team members to use as they follow along with the studies.

Adapted from the September/October 2018 edition of Influence magazine.