1 Humble your heart servant leaders humble their heart and wait for God to exalt

them.
2 First be a follower servant leaders follow Jesus instead of seek a position.
3 Find greatness in service servant leaders give up personal rights to find
greatness in service to others.
4 Take risks servant leaders can risk serving others because they trust that God is
in control of their lives.
5 Take up the towel servant leaders take up the towel of servanthood to meet the
needs of others.
6 Share responsibility and authority servant leaders share their responsibility and
authority with others to meet a great need.
7 Build a team servant leaders create a sense of togetherness, empower with
authority and presence, account for the mission and the teams actions, and
mentor.

1. Humble Your Heart (33-58)

The mission is primary. We are secondary and yielded to the mission. We subordinate
ourselves to the task at hand. We are willing to wait patiently on God and his agenda. We are
content to wait for God to exalt us--if and when he wants. Jesus is the perfect example of
humility (Phil. 2:5-11) who gave up his divine prerogatives to become a vulnerable human
being. His focus was solely on doing his Father`s mission.

2. First be a Follower (61-84)

Jesus demonstrated the characteristics of a leader who inspires others to follow him. He
was clear in his intentions (64). He could read present circumstances and accurately project
outcomes. He built a strong relationship with his followers as he established their trust in
him. He corrected his disciples' erroneous concepts of leadership. He emphasised being a
follower of him (73).

Our focus should be on following Jesus rather than pursuing a position. He defines the
divine plan that he wants us to carry out. We are servants to the plan that he has for us.

3. Find Greatness in Service (85-120)

Jesus taught his disciples that "servant leaders give up personal rights to find greatness in
service to others" (94).
 Wilkes points to the value of stories that touch a follower's heart. Jesus used examples
drawn from the disciples' culture when he wanted to teach them servant-based leadership
(97). Wilkes has used the same technique himself (99-102).

Jesus' teaching on leadership is diametrically opposed to conventional wisdom. What

professor at the Harvard business school would teach that the way to greatness is to become a
slave? His tenure would be short and he would be subject to the derision of the MBA
students! But that is what Jesus taught. As Wilkes correctly points out, only a person who is
yielded to Jesus will accept his paradigm shifting teaching on leadership (109).

4. Take Risks (121-152)

Taking risks can be unnerving. We don't know the outcome of our decision to move from
familiar territory to unknown territory. We are stepping out of our comfort zone into sometimes
decidedly unfamiliar and perhaps hostile circumstances. Where does a Christian leader find the
confidence to take on risk? Wilkes reminds us that the confidence to take risks rests on an
unshakeable belief that God is in control of our lives (131). His hand is on the tiller so we can
sail into uncharted waters with confidence.

Wilkes explains how God has uniquely shaped us for service in the body of Christ. He
uses the acronym, SERVE, originally penned by Rick Warren, to explain this concept. God's
equipping includes Spiritual gifts, Experiences in life, Relational style,Vocational skills
and Enthusiasm for the things of God (137-148).

5. Take up the Towel (152-176)

At first glance Jesus kneeling before his disciples and washing their feet, including the
disciple who would betray him later that same evening, seems inconsistent for the Messiah,
Lord and Master; however, Jesus performed this menial task to model to the disciples what he
had previously taught them--that his mission was "not to be served, but to serve, and to give
his life as a ransom for many" (Mark 10:45) (160). We follow Jesus' example of modeling
servant leadership by our willingness to serve in various ways such as helping with clean up
after a church social, taking out the garbage or providing a ride to needy church member.

Like Jesus we too must have our mission uppermost in our mind so we are not side
tracked by the personal preferences of our followers.
 There may be times when those we serve will betray us and scheme to destroy us.

6. Share Responsibility and Authority (177-205)

Servant leaders are entrusted with a divine mission that simply cannot be accomplished
by one person working alone. To accomplish a "BHAG" (big hairy audacious goal) requires a
team that has been given the responsibility and the appropriate authority to carry out the mission
by their servant leader. Servant leaders must EQUIP their followers on mission with them
by Encouraging them to serve, Qualifying their fitness for the task, Understanding their
needs, Instructing them and Praying for them (189-201).

7. Build a Team (207-238)

Teams are necessary to insure continuity of progress toward accomplishing the mission
when the leader is present and after he or she is no longer present (213). The author believes that
teams are the highest expression of servant leadership since it requires humility to build a team,
focusing on the mission rather than on self, serving the mission rather than self, risk in
establishing the team based on confidence in God's direction, willingness to serve the needs of
others, sharing authority and responsibility with the team and leveraging our leadership through
empowering others.

Four steps are involved in building a team. These are creating a sense
of Togetherness, Empowering with authority and presence, Accountability for the team's mission
and actions and Mentoring the team.