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The Law of Servant Leadership

The Law of Servant Leadership

Last updated on: November 24, 2025 at 5:23 pm by Roger E. Olson

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The Law of Servant Leadership 2025-11-24T17:23:27-05:00 Roger E. Olson

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Here I continue discussion of Walter Rauschenbusch’s book The Social Principles of Jesus with Chapter VII: Leadership for Service. If you have read it, feel free to comment. Otherwise, feel free to ask a question. In any case, observe the rules set forth at the end here.

Here is the heart of this chapter: “Here, then, we have another social principle of Jesus. The ambition of the strong must be yoked to the service of society. Power and honor must be earned by distinguished and costly service. Progress along this direction marks the progress of the Kingdom of God. Extortionate and domineering leadership must be superseded where the Kingdom of God moves forward.”

But let me flesh this out a bit. In today’s academic and business circles we hear a lot about “servant leadership,” but I have not seen a lot of that. Rauschenbusch acknowledges the truth of the saying that power corrupts, but he is very optimistic about the hope and possibility of Christian and other well-intentioned leaders becoming true servants of those beneath them.

But what would that look like? I think it looks like leaders consulting those they lead and always watching out for the common good—of their own circle of influence and the wider society where they have influence whether directly or indirectly. I intentionally belong to a church that makes all important decisions by consensus (of the members). There is no hierarchy. We have elders but they are elected by the members (as is the pastor) and nobody has authority over anybody else. (The one exception being when and if a member flagrantly flouts the stated doctrines or values of the community. Then the elders have the duty to confront him or her privately and guide him or her toward repentance and restoration.)

The fundamentalist college I attended punished anyone who questioned a decision of the board or the president, even when some were flagrantly wrong, immoral, unethical, even illegal. Nothing was done for the common good of the college community; all was done for the “good” of the leaders. Many alumni celebrated when the college closed. I taught at a “Christian” university that was mired in spiritual abuse from the top. A faculty member who dared to question an action of the president (a renowned evangelist) was publicly shamed and required to repent. Money donated for scholarships was re-routed by the president to his pet project, building an enormous and not needed hospital (sixty stories). Later I taught at a Christian college that emphasized servant leadership and community but had a president who ostracized any faculty member who dared to act contrary to his wishes. Finally, I taught at a Christian seminary that truly strove for servant leadership and community. Everyone was heard and valued from the bottom to the top. Which sometimes resulted in decisions taking a very long time to be made. Still and nevertheless, the ethos of the seminary was safe and person-centered (after being Christ-centered, of course).

Because of the things I experienced in Christian “communities” in the first half of my life I have a strong aversion to domineering leaders. All I can do is walk away from them as quickly as possible and I have walked out on them while they were speaking. One was shouting at me in his office because he didn’t listen to what I was telling him; he assumed that I meant something I did not mean and he wouldn’t allow me to explain. I was there representing the faculty. I simply stood up and turned my back and walked out of his office. He got the message. Did he change? Well, not completely, but my action caught his attention.

Rauschenbusch’s chapter touches a nerve with me, as it should with you. What kind of leaders do you want to lead your church, your denomination, your business, your institution, your state, your country? Servant leadership includes competence but also ability to listen and take seriously the needs and concerns of those under leadership. I believe that America has by-and-large chosen leaders who are far from servants but are domineering leaders. Some are outright bullies. I believe there is something amiss in American society and culture that we keep electing men (virtually always men) who are domineering, even dictatorial. Especially conservatives, even especially Christian conservative (or conservative Christians) SEEM to prefer bullies in leadership positions, even in churches.

If Rauschenbusch is right, and I think he is, Jesus weeps over this state of affairs.

I am especially dismayed that one well-known evangelist, the son of America’s best evangelist ever, a self-appointed spokesman for the politically conservative tribe among Christians, keeps speaking up publicly in support of America’s bully-in-chief.

*Note: If you choose to comment, make sure your comment is relatively brief (no more than 100 words), on topic, addressed to me, civil and respectful (not hostile or argumentative), and devoid of pictures or links.*

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