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are but one shining example of a renewed interest in focusing on concrete manifestations of God’s kingdom among us. Yet part of the discussion must also include a rigorous analysis of the moral character of our leaders.

      An interesting article in Christianity Today asked if there was an inordinate amount of arrogance and impatience evidenced in the lives of pastors planting new churches.¹⁵ This is exactly the type of difficult and probing question we must ask not only of pastors seeking to build new congregations, but of all our leaders in every area of society. Any leader—banker, politician, engineer, pastor, teacher, tradesperson, or merchant (butcher, baker, or candlestick maker)—stands in the often precarious position of balancing power and privilege. There is no denying or escaping this reality. Therefore we require leaders who understand what is good and right, but who also have the means, both the courage of character and the actual facilities of positional authority, to achieve the common flourishing we all so desperately seek. It is to the subject of moral leadership that we next turn our attention.

      SERVANT LEADERSHIP

       Discussion Questions for Chapter 4

      Robert Greenleaf was the first to coin the term “servant leadership” for our contemporary culture. Both parts of the term are significant for our theology and practice. Servant carries equal weight with leadership and fits the seminal description presented by Greenleaf: “The servant leader is one who is a servant first. . . . It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead.”¹⁶ Such a perspective is in line with the statement from Jesus: “But it is not so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all. For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:43–45).

      1. What are some of the challenges you face in leading others while at the same time seeking ways to best serve them? The authors ask several questions on pages 51 and 52. Which of these questions are most intriguing to you and why?

      2. In what ways have you experienced the abuse of positional power in your vocation and/or organization? What were the specific behaviors and how did they affect you and those around you?

      3. Servant leadership always begins with self-leadership, learning to govern and regulate one’s thoughts, words, and deeds. The authors believe it crucial for leaders to assume the role of and responsibility for modeling life in the kingdom of God. What are the primary areas of your life that need attention with regard to self-regulation?

      4. Willard and Black believe that all followers of Jesus have both the opportunity and the responsibility to appropriately address the social, economic, and political issues in our society. Do you agree or disagree? Which particular issues in society do you believe need more attention or have been a personal burden for you? What active steps have you taken to address these concerns?

      5. The authors suggest that Jesus Christ has influenced the thinking, behavior, and development of people around the world more than any other human being. Do you agree with that viewpoint? Why do you think most leaders overlook Jesus as a role model for change?

      6. Exercise: Leading others to a good, peaceful, and just life is a mark of a servant leader. Think about those around you who are less powerful, advantaged, or capable than you. What two or three tangible acts of service could you engage in to better their lives emotionally, physically, or spiritually?

CHAPTER 5

       Moral Leadership

      The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In between, the leader is a servant.

      MAX DEPREE

      Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.

      ABRAHAM LINCOLN

      IN ORDER TO transform our social systems, society’s leaders must take the initiative and assume responsibility for ensuring their own personal honesty as well as the integrity of their particular field of expertise. In an age when more and more of our social and political lives require a level of knowledge and skill that few of us possess and even fewer can attain, trusting leaders and experts has become an increasingly perilous necessity.

      Because our vulnerability grows as our dependency on others to make good decisions increases, it is important to make sure that our leaders are more committed to pursuing common flourishing than personal power and privilege. Therefore a vigorous investigation of the qualities and characteristics of moral leadership must accompany our debates about the status and qualifications of our leaders.

      Here we discuss some of the key attributes of moral leadership, the unique and necessarily exalted position of a leader in contemporary society, and the conjoining of responsibility with accountability. We will then consider some of the unique opportunities of Christlike leaders in a democratic form of government, the prominent role of heroes, and the importance heroism plays in reshaping our imagination for exemplary moral character.

      THE FAITHFUL LEADER

      There is much value in the idea of equality, especially when considering the value and worth intrinsic to every human being. Yet few of us are actually equal when it comes to our responsibilities, and this fact is exposed most prominently in relation to the leaders, spokespersons, and professionals overseeing those institutions and organizations dedicated to business, law, medicine, government, religion, education, and so on. The allure of celebrity that surrounds many of our leaders, both Christian and secular, increases this perceived inequality and has often led to great harm for individuals and institutions alike. The decline in competency and reputation of leading professionals as a whole has even threatened the egalitarian ideals that form our American democratic way of life. Therefore, a renewed philosophy of society, one robust enough for our contemporary life, requires an equally renewed understanding of how the leadership substructures in our society operate, so that leaders can best protect the common interest their positions were created to serve.

      And when we talk about leadership here, we are going beyond the limits of just a few fields. Included are any and all persons and groups engaged in a “fiduciary,” or faith-filled, relationship. In fact, it does not take long to discover the innumerable arenas of contemporary life today where a fiduciary relationship occurs and is expected, yet is rarely overtly recognized. A fiduciary relationship only requires the consent of one. A fiduciary arrangement can begin when one individual makes the concerted decision and commitment to do what is in the best interests of the other, regardless of the consequences and circumstances.

      To better define moral leadership and fiduciary responsibility, we must also admit that not every occupation is a profession, not every role is a leadership role, and not every job is a vocation. To say that every job is a vocation or that every person is a leader is to misunderstand the special and irreplaceable function of leaders and professionals in our society. What may be most difficult for many in thinking about differentiating professions from nonprofessions is the assumption that a professional is in general “better” than the nonprofessional, or a leader is “better” than a follower. This is absolutely not the case.

      In this regard, a corporate attorney and a volunteer after-school soccer coach are both engaged in fiduciary (faith-filled) duties. One agreement is made officially between corporate officers and the court. The other is made every afternoon when a parent drops off a child for practice. Are both professionals? No. Are both leaders? Yes. Are the actions of both valuable? Certainly. Do both require a level of moral character to match the range of their responsibilities? Absolutely.

      If you doubt this,

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