Servant Leadership NOW - Stepping Up Your Leadership Call

By Gardenia Bulluck

This book, Servant Leadership NOW - Stepping Up Your Leadership Call, by author, Gardenia T. Bulluck, helps leaders with assessing leadership, evaluating needed changes, and communicating visionary goals to move on God's agenda. Your workshops and teaching will become more powerful when strategies support their personal needs. Your facilitators can simultaneously learn and teach these key strategies for strengthening spiritual growth. Instruction and development is key to servant leadership. The tools in the books are useful for personal and collaborative leadership; and are organized for direct instruction. "Instruct the wise and they will become wiser still; teach the righteous and they will add to their learning,” Proverbs 9:9 NIV. The learners are also given a suggestive plan of action as a roadmap for applying what is introduced.

There is a need to learn more about servant leadership as the foundation of Christian life. The practical and spiritual approach of serving stems from love. The teachings from this book is to help learners engage in productive activities for developing wisdom as servant leaders.

This book, Servant Leadership NOW - Stepping Up Your Leadership Call, is a revised edition. It is also available in paperback. In both versions, the book highlights:
(1) stories of interest from Biblical and World Leaders,
(2) thought-provoking activities,
(3) Scriptures for quick reference (back of book), and
(4) informal assessments (back of book).
Start using this book now for a difference in your Christian educational journey to step up your leadership.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Sep 27, 2021
• ISBN: 9781365441929

Book preview

COPYRIGHT PAGE

Copyright © 2021 Gardenia T. Bulluck

All rights reserved.

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      Revised Edition

ISBN: 978-1-365-44192-9 (e)

Original Copyright © 2019 Gardenia T. Bulluck

ISBN 978-1-7330-4730-2 (sc)

ISBN 978-1-7330473-1-90(e)

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted by any means—whether auditory, graphic, mechanical, or electronic—without written permission of the author, except in the case of brief excerpts used in critical articles and reviews.

Unauthorized reproduction of any part of this work is illegal and is punishable by law. Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Scripture quotations taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV® Copyright © 1973 1978 1984 2011 by Biblica, Inc. TM. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

DEDICATION

I first dedicate this book to Our Lord, Jesus the Christ. I am even more appreciative of those who have continued to give me support: my husband, Sylvester, my beautiful adult daughters (Melissa, Kendra, and Courtney), adorable grands (Quintin, Malcolm, Horatio, and Jada), my godmother, Ernestine, and Mary Lucas, aunt and friend. I am most grateful for my Mom’s continuing endurance as she listens to my readings for comfort and meditation through her illness.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

My special thanks to my support team and those who continue to implement the teachings from my book, especially Rev. Keith Butler, Rev. Roderick L. Tillery (brother and friend), and Evangelist Sarah McIntosh; to my prayer warriors and Christian Counselors, Stacey Hall-McLeod and Dr. Marie Louis, words are not enough. I wish to mention the enduring friendship of my deceased comrade, Dr. L. Beverly Corridon, who labored with me both personally and professionally. I want to acknowledge the encouragement from my stepmom, Annie Vernell, who prior to her leaving this earthly home, was adamant about sharing my book with her closest friends. It also gave me much comfort to know how my father, William, who followed her in death, spent hours listening to my readings via Gardenia’s Garden Podcast, which remains a reflection of the teachings in this book. I salute Pastor Ted and Lady McRae and the disciples of Abundant Life Ministries of South Florida/Emerge Ministries), who will continue to emerge and inspire me.

My very special thanks to President Jimmy Carter in acknowledgement of my recognition of him as a SERVANT LEADER of the times.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR Kl ND GI FT. APPRECIATE YOUR REMEMBERING ME IN SUCH ATHOUGHTFUL WAY AND SEND YOU MY THANKS AND WARM BEST WISHES.

I SAY, THANK YOU.

AUTHOR’S OBJECTIVES

To engage, equip, encourage, evangelize, and inspire servant- leaders in the ministry for God’s Agenda.

Engage

Equip

Encourage

Evangelize&

Inspire

The Servant-Leader NOW – Stepping Up Your Leadership Call

For God’s Agenda

Moving Forward in 2021 and Beyond

INTRODUCTION

Businesses are beginning more and more to understand the concept of servant leadership. Ministry must step- up to the concept of its own teaching concerning servant leadership. It is true that ministry leadership is unique. That is why the primary purpose of this workbook is to support believers as servant leaders.

The activities are designed to work in interactive teams or as individuals. Research shows that leaders learn by doing (experiential learning). The Harvard Business Review (HBR) reported that although organizations spend more than $24 billion annually on leadership development, many leaders who have attended leadership programs struggle to implement what they have learned. It is not because the programs are bad but because leadership is best learned from experience.. When leaders put knowledge, understanding and experience together, change can be most effective.

In this text, you will engage in focused work dedicated to the Word of God by reading and researching scriptures. This will make learning more inspirational and meaningful. Undoubtedly, if you have participated in any meaningful workshops, the most valuable experiences were interactive. To not view God’s Word as interactive would limit our ability to absorb and appreciate His gift to us.

Most of the work activities will highlight leaders in the Biblical text; however, characters from modern time are mentioned as part of reflective study. The intent is to show servant-leaders as an exploration of various aspects of leadership on behalf of God’s Agenda.

Also, for your convenience, in the Appendix section, you will find many of the scriptures for quick study. Several resources are provided in the Attachment section, i.e., assessments for goal setting. In addition, some of these assessments have been made available online for convenience via https://bulluckg.com/. A suggestive schedule is also provided for those who are interested in implementing these activities. Consider the work in this textbook as supplemental materials for workshops and Christian Education for leadership development.

Instruct the wise and they will become wiser still; teach the righteous and they will add to their learning, Proverbs 9:9 NIV.

Blessings!

SECTION I - ABOUT MINISTRY/ORGANIZATION ASSESSMENTS

In the Attachment Section, I have made available several ministry/organization assessments. Why should you use these assessments? You should want to know how the health of a ministry or organization i.e., How is the ministry doing? How can I prepare as a servant leader?

Although there is a difference between an organization and a ministry. knowing how you are serving others is key to servant leadership and discipleship growth. Moreover, in today’s society, research shows that organizations and companies are making a difference because they have embraced the concept of servant leadership for their bottom line and as a model for leadership development. Think about it - knowing who you are and understanding challenges and embracing strengths will help you move forward.

Assessments in this working text (Attachment Section) are meant to be supportive and   thoughtful tools for spiritual growth. Morally and spiritually, God intends for us to be obedient in seeking and carrying out His agenda.

The assessments are not meant to be penalizing. Rather, the information gained from can be useful for sharing with the ministry/organization for goalsetting. The numerical rating forms can be used for summarizing the results to confirm specific affirmations and define areas of growth. We distinguish which individual assessments are meant for personal growth and sharing. We do this to help distinguish a difference between church growth and spiritual growth, and to promote the usefulness of assessments as tools to gather truth, integrity, and accountability. Ask yourself, which of the questions are useful for areas of growth for the ministry? Which of the questions are useful for determining spiritual growth for the individual? Which of these assessments can be modified to assess any organization? We compared several assessments and found that examples presented at a Northern Plains Region Baptist Conference could be useful in moving ministry and organizational objectives.

DOWNLOADABLE FORMAT

Although, I have made modifications to the names of assessments, the content has not changed. Many of the assessments are available online. For specifics, check website (https://bulluckg.com). You can use the assessments to highlight areas of growth for leadership and identify areas that require more attention.

How often should assessments be taken? At least annually. Pre and post assessments are recommended for comparison and measuring growth. However, regular assessments can also help strengthen and avoid potential problems. For an organization, these assessments are useful for strategic planning and engaging employees. For trainers, they are useful tools.

Why do we recommend respondents sign in certain areas? Again, responses are not meant to be penalizing; whereas an organization should always seek to reduce the risk of harm; we aim to promote the use of dialoguing and clarifying issues for resolving issues.

Guidelines for Assessments

Team leadership assessments should be given to persons who work closely with the organization’s leader and who will have leadership roles in the organization. Use the assessment summary for further dialoguing and analyzing needs for growth. It is recommended that such dialogues take place only after seeking God in prayer.

What is the role of the entire organizational body? It is important that the entire body be a part of the process. Inform the body that all leaders will be involved in leadership development for the purpose of growing discipleship and servant leadership. Then ask the body to pray for the wisdom, grace, and fellowship that will be needed in this process. Praying for the process should not be neglected - for the church is accountable for God’s kingdom work.

The Executive Leader

The executive leader or head leader will often be the pastor; the assessments are meant to be used as interchangeable instruments specific to an organization or head leader. For instance, the name pastor can be substituted for president in an organization; the word church/body can be interchangeable with organization.

Names of the Assessments?

We have changed the names for clarity but the content has remained. So if you used the assessments in the original book, there is very little difference. The following names of the assessments are:

IndividualAssessmentoftheHeadLeader

SummarizingALLAssessmentsoftheHead Leader

HeadLeader(orPastor)Self-Assessment

AssessmentoftheMinistryBody

PostAssessmentoftheMinistryBody

MinistryTeamLeadershipSelf-Assessment

AlternateFormforPlottingYourData

AlternateFormforAssessingtheMinistryBody

SummarizingStrengthsandChallengesfromData

Note: Also check my website for online availability to these assessment products https://bulluckg.com/

Scheduling and Usage

As previously stated, I have provided a sample schedule in the Appendix for a year-long study. Training a group of leaders can facilitate ongoing development in servant leadership.

Reflection

As a servant leader you should want and stress that there is a need to reflect upon the growth of leadership. The use of these assessment tools will help you understand leadership of your ministry and personal growth. Service to others is the fundamental basis for discipleship. These activities in this workbook are meant to encourage servant leadership, so are the assessments.

Not every ministry is open to assessments. Do not be discouraged. Jesus provided direction as only to the extent that his followers could handle it. With companies, educational institutions, governments, and small-business owners, the overriding factor is to increase their bottom-line or return on investment. In ministry, the focus is spirituality and it may be more difficult to bring about consensus by the entire body. Still, it does not mean that you should not make the effort to increase the understanding of servant leadership. Assessment is a key tool for preparation.

Each Section

There are five sections in the workbook. Each section contains activities. Space, after each question, has been provided to allow learners to answer questions and give their thoughts. In the Appendix Section, several scriptures are made available for unified teaching and referencing. Learners can also incorporate scriptures from their favorite biblical versions. We encourage the use of a personal journal for your reflection.

SECTION II: CHARACTER TRAITS ACTIVITIES

In Section II Character/Traits section, you will read an old tale; review leadership traits; review wise behaviors based on the Book of Proverbs; reflect upon statements from world leaders; engage in activities related to the content and finally, and finally, state your takeaways.

I have also made the story of "Don’t Blame It