Servant Leadership

The last two weeks have been a busy time with a leadership retreat, church activities and a college group from the States here for a service learning course. There hasn’t been much time to write, but there certainly has been a lot happening to write about. I’ll try and catch up in the next couple of entries, so you have a feel for what has been going on.



Sunset over the Mulanje valley



Let me begin with the leadership retreat for the Synod executives. This was a small retreat for the top leadership held at Kara O Mula Lodge in Mulanje, a lovely facility on the side of Mulanje Mountain.  We used that facility because it was away from the Synod and Synod properties, so the leadership would not be distracted. The location is idyllic, with breathtaking views at every turn. The only challenge aspect of the retreat was getting there. We hunted for four days for fuel and finally resorted to going to the black market. It was costly, but worth the price for the great location and the productive retreat.



Power or Persuasion



One of the highlights of the time was a presentation on Servant Leadership. It was challenging, thought provoking and interactive. The facilitator, a Malawian, has his masters in education from the University of Manchester in England and his MBA from Eastern University in the States, so he brings an innovative teaching style to his presentations. He used Jesus as the model of the servant leader and built on the variety of styles of leadership that Jesus used, given his various disciples and various situations. His illustrations were not just Jesus’ examples but interactive activities to promote discussion. At one point he asked for 4 volunteers to pair up. He instructed one to make a fist and the other to open that fist. Immediately, power struggles ensued to wrestle the fists open. It was entertaining to watch ministers literally twisting one another’s arms. When it was over and the fists were opened, the facilitator did a debriefing of the techniques used, observing that everyone went immediately for overpowering their “opponent.” No one asked the other to cooperate and open his fist. This led to a fascinating discussion about the difference between leadership and power. For the closing exercise, we went outside and formed a circle. We were given 6 balls of yarn and those with the yarn were instructed to tie it to their waists. They were then instructed to toss the ball of yarn to someone else in the circle. We had 6 balls of yarn flying in 6 directions. Those who got the yarn were to wrap it around their waists and toss it to someone else in the circle. Quickly a web of yarn formed, intertwining us together. As we stood, webbed together, he talked about the community of leadership and the sharing of gifts and abilities. It was a powerful object lesson. I saw servant leadership in a much broader perspective than I had before. 

I believe the others gained new insight as well. If that had been the only teaching, it would have been worth the trip. There were other sessions on strategic planning, leading meetings, record keeping, time management, and property management. The challenge now is to put all of this into practice. That is the case with any good retreat or workshop.

Interconnective leadership