An Overview of Servant, Spiritual, and Being-Centered Leadership

The complexity of leadership theory and Christian ministry can be observed through the many unique leaders found in biblical history. When it comes to leadership theories founded in divine doctrine, there are three models dominating literature for viability: servant leadership, spiritual leadership, and being-centered leadership.

These three models are starkly similar in action but inherently different in purpose, direction, and methodology of action. It is the combination of these three character differences which makes being-centered leadership a more biblically accurate leadership model, one that not only mimics the teachings and actions of Christ but also matches the intense, direct connection He experienced in His relationship with Father God.

Servant Leadership

Servant leadership occurs due to the foundation of core beliefs and values of individual leaders. This model initiates when leaders take the place as a servant of others and use their role as a servant leader to motivate and build character by focusing on the needs of others through selflessness (Russel & Stone, 2002). This platform for community-wide, individual-glorifying growth has nine functional attributes, including vision, honesty, integrity, trust, service, modeling, pioneering, appreciation for others, and empowerment. Within servant leadership, the form of specific leader direction is determined by the variance in these nine functional attributes. The beauty of servant leadership is that those being led do not recognize the servant leader as a leader. Instead, this individual is a guide and friend to others, formulating what’s best for them individually in recognition that people maximized in their potential are in better positions to help others. This has a community-wide effect.

Spiritual Leadership

Spiritual leadership has been said to be necessary for the transformation of organizations into successful learning entities. Through an intrinsically-motivated, united group effort, spiritual leaders initiate success through a focus on the development of communal visions towards altruistic production and goal-identification, building spiritual survival from grounded values and care for others (Fry, 2003). Spiritual leadership’s overall output creates a sense of communal unity based on the body, mind, heart, and spirit of each individual to power these “learning” organizations. Spiritual leadership theory is built on four foundations: a clear compelling vision, social construction of cultural learning, leadership embodying core values, and community-led and empowered team structure. Spiritual leadership has a greater ability to be measured than servant leadership due to the direct involvement by leadership with the spiritual development of others.

Being-Centered Model of Leadership

The being-centered model of leadership is a holonic, hierarchal five-stage process of situational adaptation and development into a transcendent, jointly-interested community of stakeholders (Fry & Kriger, 2009). This model uses an “ever-revolving” five-level open system of being. Leaders go on a developmental journey towards higher states of awareness about their inner-self and their service to key stakeholders founded in altruistic values. In five stages—the physical world, the creative images and imagination, the world of the soul, the world of the spirit, and the non-dual world of absolute mystery—leaders can reach each state of being, attainable any time, yet each state is also encapsulated by their preceding layers in the chain of hierarchal stages of being.

Theory Comparisons and Contrasts

Leadership theory and Christian ministry are connected between each of these three leadership theories, as each heavily relies on the standard of God for their theoretical frameworks. With a theological foundation, these models share similar values, principles, and lenses of viewing the world, a point of beginning which unites them. These theories recognize people’s inherent value and dual, mind-body state of existence.

While contingent leadership theories, such as behavioral, trait, or situational leadership theories, focus on the quantitative behaviors, traits, and skills of leaders and their followers, servant, spiritual, and being-centered leadership each focus on qualitative states of interactions and behaviors in these same social engagements.

Servant leadership is heavily influenced by organizational culture and employee attitudes, relying on the health and form of these environments for success (Russel & Stone, 2002). This model requires specific cognitive characteristics for its entry into communities. Three out of the four fundamental areas of spiritual leadership involve non-physical states while being-centered leadership involves four states of existence outside the physical world (Fry, 2003; Fry & Kriger, 2009). Each of these leadership theories uses an individual’s inner-person as the causation of positive change in organizational culture. This inner-personal driving dynamic is key to the goals and outcomes of these strategies.

Differences in Mission, Vision, and Method

The differences in these theories are found in their mission, vision, and method of obtaining these goals. The prime motivation for servant leadership is serving others, and to do so, these leaders must focus on the needs of others as their daily ritual of existence (Russel & Stone, 2002). This lifestyle of serving is similar to servant leadership in that generosity and empowerment sustain and are the lifeblood of these communities; however, spiritual leadership points to a different future and purpose. In this model, the fundamental needs of both leaders and followers heavily influence operations, just with servant leadership, except this spiritual model includes an extra element—spiritual survival (Fry, 2003).

Spiritual leadership’s long-term goal for a communal state of spiritual survival is the line on which decisions are judged. Being-centered leadership also has a vision of servitude towards group-members, yet this model goes further than spiritual leadership and focuses on all relevant stakeholders involved in operations. Being-centered leadership is similar to servant leadership in this stakeholder bias, except in this model, servitude is an outcome of one’s state of personal enlightenment and knowledge of reality, not a focus of action as with servant leadership (Fry & Kriger, 2009).

Application to Christian Ministry

Leadership theory and Christian ministry go hand-in-hand. Each of these three models is founded on theological doctrines recognizing a God who has created absolutes of truth and being. In Christian ministry, we find principles of leadership in areas of the Abrahamic, Mosaic, Noahic, and Christological covenants. Abraham was accredited righteousness through his faith in God and in his action of taking steps of faith (Mark 9:35). Moses and Noah as well acted in faith in their journeys with YHWH.

As with Jesus, we continually see a high emphasis on a code of morality revealed by Father God, such as with the ten commandments. Jesus said in his ministry that those who are leaders would be considered ‘first’ by becoming ‘last,’ living as a servant to all (Matthew 23:11; Mark 10:44-45). Peter mentions using our spiritual gifts by serving others (1Peter 4:10), Paul tells to look after others’ interest as with our own (Philippians 2:4), and much of scripture shows how Jesus came not to be served but to serve others (Matthew 20:28; John 13:12-14).

Foundations for Leadership

With servitude as a significant feature of Christian ministry, great leadership theories in Christian doctrine are built on serving others. Aristotle said that leadership was the supreme, master ethic, that great leadership required a mastery of all other ethics to be done successfully (Levine & Boaks, 2014). Leadership is, as he said, the “master virtue” of which a leader must be a “master artificer,” or one who is excellent in character perfection.

Followers of this mastery of character require the individual character traits of excellence particular to each role, while the leader himself must have all the perfections possible of character. Since a leader’s job, and innate functioning within their environment, is to help others embody ethical characteristics required for the successful flourishing of their work and their culture, it would seem the use of ethical codes, and their display around such culture, would be a beneficial and profitable tool for group conformity.

Without a standard in God, can there be anything truly considered good or ethical? I have argued how ethics is dead without God and how law and religion work together. Dive deeper into these thoughts and you’ll see quickly that despite all the arguments, in every philosophy of life, that we each know altruism is right, and if altruism is right, then there is a rightness to be had, and thus, philosophy must look into the beginning of things to know proper eschatology, the right state of the ends.

Servitude, the Foundation of Great Leadership

When looking into leadership theory and Christian ministry, servant leadership is one of the most popular topics reviewed. Servant leadership is naturally aligned with the principles of Christ, as servitude is the focus of the model and of Christ’s work. Being-centered leadership as well involves servitude with others but it is more of a by-product of personal enlightenment and attunement with the divine.

Looking at the aforementioned great leaders of the old testament, a commonality of a united relationship with YHWH founded the action and lead the direction of their leadership and lives. Servitude for Noah was building Father God’s ark. The servitude of Moses for his people occurred because of YHWH’s intervention with him in the desert and his obeisance in following His commands. Abraham followed YHWH’s voice and spent years trusting in Him for a strategy and future.

Biblical Role Models of Leadership

The being-centered leadership model more accurately fits this old testament view of leadership, while Jesus’s commands would seem, at least initially, more of a servitude-focused style of leadership. However, with Jesus, an underlying closeness with YHWH is what motivates His ability to serve others, to follow His commands, and to complete His ministry (Hebrews 12:2). It was Jesus’s obedience to the path YHWH had given Him which brought about His glory and power (Philippians 2:6-11).

With the servant leadership model, the leader’s cognitive state and environment determines their effectiveness, yet with Jesus and the leaders of old, the close, personal relationship with YHWH and their faith invested in this relationship is what powered and dictated the success of their leadership. Their obedience was required for faith to be fully developed (James 2:14-24) as the final two verses in James brings about the truth of faith and servitude, action from faith, and servitude from a strong relationship with God (James 2:23-24). Therefore, being-centered leadership more accurately fits Christian ministry as a biblically-accurate model of leadership.

The spiritual leadership model, a model built on the love of Jesus with His disciples and community, involves a standard of absolute and altruistic love, yet these alone are not sufficient for success. Jesus revealed the kingdom of heaven through His love for others. This love of Jesus was founded in His strong intellectual, emotional, and spiritual connection with YHWH. Spiritual leadership focuses on these three qualities; however, it does not build the foundation of these with the divine being but instead builds from a sense of desired observable qualities such as altruism. Altruism then is a by-product of being-centered leadership, while spiritual and servant leadership each use altruism as their foundation.

Conclusion – Leadership Theory and Christian Ministry

In comparing these three models for a greater understanding in the connection of leadership theory and Christian ministry, it would seem that spiritual leadership is greater than servant leadership, as spiritual leadership would lead to servant leadership outcomes through a more holistic and direct approach. Instead of seeking the object of love, as servant leadership does, spiritual leadership finds the cause of love and promotes it.

Spiritual leadership is thus a greater model for long-term, sustained success in leadership. In being-centered leadership, outcomes of actions are not the focus at all, but instead, it is the deep, intense divine connection one experiences that promotes successful leadership. As awareness increases, being-centered leaders build a greater ability for adaptability, knowledge, and wisdom for use of effective techniques of action, leading to servitude to others through altruism. It is this idea of being centered in the divine Spirit of YHWH which makes being-centered leadership the most biblically accurate model available.

References

Fry, L., & Kriger, M. (2009). Towards a theory of being-centered leadership: Multiple levels of being as context for effective leadership. Human Relations, 62(11), 1667-1696. Doi: 10.1177/0018726709346380

Fry, L. (2003). Towards a theory of spiritual leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 14(6), 693-727.

Levine, M. P., & Boaks, J. (2014). What does ethics have to do with leadership?. Journal of Business Ethics, 124(2), 225-242.

Russell, R. F., & Stone, A. G. (2002). A review of servant leadership attributes: Developing a practical model. Leadership & Organizational Development Journal, 23(3/4), 145-157.