More than lip service.......PLEASE!
I came across this group the other day: The Beatitudes Society. Immediately I was intrigued! When I read their "Who we are" statement, I felt an immediate connection:
"We are Christians who feel called to lives of servant leadership. Today, the dominant culture of Christian faith - one centered in nationalism, materialism and intolerance - bears no resemblance to the life and teachings of Jesus, particularly as they concern justice, poverty and peacemaking. We are on a lifelong journey of reflection and action to turn this world upside down. We invite those on a similar path to join us."
As I read further, I read about how they wanted to do an annual service trip to do Beatitudes work. GREAT!
And then my disappointment: I got to their reading list. While there is nothing wrong with the books on their reading list, I was more than a little frustrated that they did not have a single work by Greenleaf listed!
I have no problem with those who want to use the term 'servant leadership.' But not just because it is trendy! Use it because you agree with Greenleaf's teachings; use it because you want to others to become better servant-leaders. It's hard to do that, in my opinion, if you don't point people to Greenleaf's writings!
"We are Christians who feel called to lives of servant leadership. Today, the dominant culture of Christian faith - one centered in nationalism, materialism and intolerance - bears no resemblance to the life and teachings of Jesus, particularly as they concern justice, poverty and peacemaking. We are on a lifelong journey of reflection and action to turn this world upside down. We invite those on a similar path to join us."
As I read further, I read about how they wanted to do an annual service trip to do Beatitudes work. GREAT!
And then my disappointment: I got to their reading list. While there is nothing wrong with the books on their reading list, I was more than a little frustrated that they did not have a single work by Greenleaf listed!
I have no problem with those who want to use the term 'servant leadership.' But not just because it is trendy! Use it because you agree with Greenleaf's teachings; use it because you want to others to become better servant-leaders. It's hard to do that, in my opinion, if you don't point people to Greenleaf's writings!
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