Servant Leadership

Background Information
You may have heard the phrase “servant leadership.” This is the concept that the greatest leaders are the ones that truly serve others. Jesus spoke of this principle in his own life and ministry in Mark 10:41-45, and we see further examples of it in Paul. You will have the opportunity to explore Paul’s description of service in detail in 2 Timothy and survey some other examples. The aim is to integrate biblical principles of leadership with biblical principles of service to become true servant leaders.

As you investigate Paul’s letters for this assignment, you should be aware that in Greek there is only one word that is translated as both “servant” and “slave.” Thus, while we may somewhat separate these two concepts by the words we use, this was not fully available to Paul and the other authors of the New Testament who all wrote in Greek. You should keep your eyes open primarily for places where Paul is talking more about serving God or serving one another rather than the social roles of slaves.

Instructions

1. Review the rubric to make sure you understand the criteria for earning your grade.

2. Read the entire letter of 2 Timothy in a standard translation of the Bible as noted in the syllabus.

3. In your textbook, Jesus is Lord, read Chapter 49.
Use the link below to access the link
https://www75.zippyshare.com/v/712xbVBt/file.html

4. While 2 Timothy does not mention the specific term “service,” much of book is made up of Paul’s reflection on his own life’s work and advice to Timothy for how to serve his church. Choose one passage relevant to service from 2 Timothy. Read it carefully and examine examine a reputable commentary and its notes on the passage (commentaries can be found at the Bible Study Tools link).

5. Use Bible Study Tools to find one passage in Paul’s letters related to service (e.g., serve, serving, servant, servanthood, etc.). To limit your search to Paul’s letters, click on the dropdown menu next to “Book” and select “Pauline Epistles.” Then enter your term (serve, servant, etc.) into the “Search the Bible” box and press “Find it!” This will generate a list of passages with that term that you can sift through and read.
https://www.biblestudytools.com/

6. Navigate to the threaded discussion; make an initial post of approximately 150-200 words in two paragraphs. The first paragraph should discuss the two biblical passages you investigated in #3 and #4 in order draw some lessons about service from Paul’s letters. The second paragraph should describe your own thoughts on leadership. Reflect on what you can learn personally from this discussion of service in Paul’s letters.