Baptist News Global
Sections
  • News
  • Analysis
  • Opinion
  • Curated
  • Storytelling
    • Faith & Justice >
      • Charleston: Metanoia with Bill Stanfield
      • Charlotte: QC Family Tree with Greg and Helms Jarrell
      • Little Rock: Judge Wendell Griffen
      • North Carolina: Conetoe
    • Welcoming the Stranger >
      • Lost Boys of Sudan: St. John’s Baptist Charlotte
      • Awakening to Immigrant Justice: Myers Park Baptist Church
      • Hospitality on the corner: Gaston Christian Center
    • Signature Ministries >
      • Jake Hall: Gospel Gothic, Music and Radio
    • Singing Our Faith >
      • Hymns for a Lifetime: Ken Wilson and Knollwood Baptist Church
      • Norfolk Street Choir
    • Resilient Rural America >
      • Alabama: Perry County
      • Texas: Hidalgo County
      • Arkansas Delta
      • Southeast Kentucky
  • More
    • Contact
    • About
    • Donate
    • Planned Giving
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Advertising
    • Ministry Jobs and More
    • Transitions
    • Subscribe
    • Submissions and Permissions
Donate Subscribe
Search Search this site

A call for renewed servant leadership at Baylor

OpinionJonathan Davis  |  June 2, 2016

Davis_Jonathan_Cropped-150x150 (2)A 1996 song by Paula Cole states:

Where is my John Wayne?
Where is my prairie song?
Where is my happy ending?
Where have all the cowboys gone?

Now that I’ve got that tune stuck in your head, as I consider much of what’s going on in Christian life and leadership these days, I wonder:

Where is our Grant Teaff?
Where is our Kingdom vision?
Where is our towel and basin?
Where have all the servant leaders gone?

So many Christian organizations claim servant leadership as a conviction that the phrase almost rings clichéd. Christian churches, denominational networks, camps, hospitals and universities all tout servant leadership as a core value, hoping to somehow embody the idea within their respective spheres of influence.

In the culture we live in — with politicians (on both sides) who seem to be driven by ego rather than public good, with business leaders who buy influence through lobbying, with terrorists that torture and behead confessing Christians in other parts of the world — servant leadership may sound like wimpy leadership. “Just tell it like it is!” or “Money talks!” and “Bomb ‘em all to hell!” are the cries of a culture resistant to (and fearful of) true servant leadership. The fact is, servant leadership is anything but cowardly.

When people think of leadership, they may conjure up platitudes like “you cannot take people where you have not been” or “you have to minister from the overflow and not the fumes.” Moreover, there are countless Twitter feeds, blogs and TED Talks on leadership, and many do little more than quote theory. Leadership, however, at its core is more than just truism and academic theory.

How do we embody the principles of servant leadership within the body of Christ? James wrote that believers should not only be hearers of the Word, but also doers. What word might Scripture give us in terms of leadership? Moving past simple adages and clichés concerning leadership may prove difficult because, in large part, everyone has a different idea of what the ideal leader looks like.

For Christians, servant leadership ideally models the leadership style of Christ, which was relational yet prophetic, incarnational yet visionary, strong yet gentle, authoritative yet humble, agitating yet healing, human yet holy, and ultimately willing to sacrifice life itself. I feel guilty sometimes concerning what passes for leadership in my own ministry when I consider the example of the Suffering Servant. Servant leadership as exhibited in Christ is self-giving but differentiated, thick skinned but tender hearted, unpretentious yet bold. The list could continue. Embracing the call to Christian leadership is to embrace the servant leader par-excellence, Christ Jesus.

When considering the example of Christ, many Christian institutions actually don’t want a servant leader at the helm. Many churches want little more than a hired gun for preaching, weddings and funerals — in contrast to a pastoral leader. Hospitals want administrators who can ensure profits for investors. Universities want presidents that can raise money for endowments and coaches that win bowl games.

Leadership in the way of Christ is counter to the results-oriented, numbers-motivated, face-saving, conflict-avoiding, glory-driven, personality-cultic leadership styles of this world. Servant leaders always put serving people above serving the bottom line, above sweeping things under the rug, above unhealthy ways of being, above pleasing everyone, even above winning. Servant leadership is anything but wimpy. It is willing to die on a cross out of sacrificial love.

In his seminal work on servant leadership (actually coining the term), Robert Greenleaf identified the following characteristic habits of servant leaders: 1) Listening, 2) Empathy, 3) Building Community, 4) Healing, 5) Awareness, 6) Commitment to People, 7) Foresight, 8) Persuasion, 9) Stewardship, 10) Conceptualization.

By definition, the failures exhibited at Baylor University concerning sexual violence are failures not only in institutional and moral leadership, but in servant leadership. In demoting Ken Starr, firing Art Briles and making other needed personnel changes, Baylor’s board of regents are fighting to preserve the value of servant leadership at Baylor. But the school can and should go further.

The victims of sexual assault deserve a listening ear. They deserve empathy followed by action. They deserve the building of a safe community on Baylor’s campus. They need healing.

In their response to the Pepper Hamilton summary report, the Baylor board of regents is attempting to bring transparent awareness to the problem of sexual assault at Baylor. They are showing a commitment to valuing people over bowl games and dollars, and the foresight to know that the mission of a Christian institution is far bigger than sports.

Through their actions, the board of regents is attempting to persuade Baylor Nation (and countless others) that the values the institution was founded on, Pro Ecclesia, Pro Texana (For Church, For State) still matter. The regents are attempting to exhibit wise stewardship of a sacred trust, and a remarkable legacy, helping Baylor and other collegiate programs conceptualize a future where sexual assault is taken seriously on college campuses.

The need to restore true servant leadership is at the heart of Baylor’s sexual violence scandal. Servant leadership is about putting people first, and in this instance, the people that need to be put first are the victims of sexual assault. Fellow BNG columnist and Baylor alumna Amy Butler was right in recently stating, “If it’s true that Baylor’s recent action set a high bar for colleges and universities everywhere, Baylor can now become a school that builds and models safe, nurturing community that acts swiftly to rid the campus of sexual predators and makes the care and healing of victims its highest priority.”

What would the prioritization of servant leadership look like in relation to the sexual violence problem at Baylor? It might look like hiring women at the senior administration level (the current roster is 100 percent male). It might look like bringing more women to the table on the board of regents (about 1/6th of voting members are female). Both moves would create listening and empathy in positive ways.

Servant leadership might look like not waiting until there is a national outcry and an independent legal review to take sexual violence seriously, realizing that the insular feel of a Christian college campus does not make Baylor immune to a problem that runs rampant in the larger culture. Building Christian community requires a proactive approach.

Servant leadership might finally conceptualize a new reality in Texas Baptist life where women aren’t treated as second-class citizens in the Kingdom of God, and press to educate more churches about issues concerning gender equality in the church. As pointed out in another recent BNG column, there is a vast expanse between the spoken language and actual practice of Texas Baptists concerning women in ministry. It’s a wonder many of our gifted women ministers even stay in Baptist life — a true testimony to their divine call and tenacity.

Restoring servant leadership at Baylor would mean finding proactive ways to restore hope, dignity and wholeness to victims of sexual violence and institutional neglect. Healing is at the heart of servant leadership.

Will Baylor’s board of regents heed the call of this author and many others to restore servant leadership at Baylor, setting an example for all Baptist (and non-Baptist) universities? Is it possible to cut through the clichéd understanding of servant leadership (often receiving lip service in our institutions), and establish a true culture of servant leadership at Baylor, in all its fullness?

Putting people (made in God’s image) first is at the heart of servant leadership, and at the heart of the gospel. Baylor’s website claims that “At Baylor, ‘Love thy neighbor’ is a way of life.” May it prove increasingly so.


OPINION: Views expressed in Baptist News Global columns and commentaries are solely those of the authors.
Tags:Baylor UniversitySexual AssaultleadershipJonathan DavisPaula Colesexual violencecollege sexual assaultservant leadersservant leadershipRobert Greenleaf
More by
Jonathan Davis
  • Get BNG headlines in your inbox

  • Featured

    • Welcome to Gilead

      Opinion

    • Supreme Court once again hands conservative evangelicals a win for free expression over state establishment of religion

      News

    • For now, David Platt has won the battle against internal critics at McLean Bible Church

      News

    • ‘Our Father’: A quiverfull of racism and anti-reproductive rights

      Opinion


    Curated

    • New Zealand designates Proud Boys a terrorist organization

      New Zealand designates Proud Boys a terrorist organization

      June 30, 2022
    • D. James Kennedy Ministries Loses Legal Battle Against ‘Hate Group’ Label

      D. James Kennedy Ministries Loses Legal Battle Against ‘Hate Group’ Label

      June 30, 2022
    • Colorado GOP rejects candidates who back Trump election lie

      Colorado GOP rejects candidates who back Trump election lie

      June 30, 2022
    • Donating to help women get abortions is a First Amendment right – protected by Supreme Court precedents

      Donating to help women get abortions is a First Amendment right – protected by Supreme Court precedents

      June 30, 2022
    Read Next:

    Jesus calls women to ministry by name and asks them to rise up, Stewart says in fiery BWIM sermon

    NewsJeff Brumley

    More Articles

    • All
    • News
    • Opinion
    • Curated
    • Together for Hope inspires communities to see what they’ve got more than what they’re lacking

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • CBF is ‘crossing over’ to a new era, Baxley tells General Assembly

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • With refugee numbers rising worldwide, racism remains a factor in where they’re accepted and how quickly

      NewsAnthony Akaeze

    • Summer state and regional meetings give a preview of how the split is going in the United Methodist Church

      NewsCynthia Astle

    • Churches must learn to adapt to ‘permanent transition,’ Leonard stresses

      NewsMarv Knox

    • While the SBC shuns women as preachers, CBF celebrates a new generation of women as preachers

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Transitions for the week of 7-1-22

      NewsBarbara Francis

    • ‘Our Father’: A quiverfull of racism and anti-reproductive rights

      OpinionErica Whitaker

    • For now, David Platt has won the battle against internal critics at McLean Bible Church

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • The consent of mothers

      OpinionJulia Goldie Day

    • Jesus calls women to ministry by name and asks them to rise up, Stewart says in fiery BWIM sermon

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Welcome to Gilead

      OpinionSusan M. Shaw, Senior Columnist

    • Dear closeted queer one, Pride is for you

      OpinionAmber Cantorna

    • Daniel Vestal writes of the changing chapters of life and faith

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Christianity: Where the end justifies the means

      OpinionPhillip Thomas

    • Ministry jobs and more

      NewsBarbara Francis

    • Supreme Court once again hands conservative evangelicals a win for free expression over state establishment of religion

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Catholic bishops drop opposition to lesbian becoming a foster parent

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Why men should be concerned about the abortion ruling

      OpinionDarrell Hamilton II

    • Christian nationalism links gun rights and ‘Christian nation’ ideals in dangerous mix, Tyler and Hollman say

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Why I’m a pro-choice pastor: I’ve listened to the stories of too many women

      OpinionBob Browning

    • Who’ll bring the sackcloth and ashes to CBF General Assembly this week?

      OpinionMolly Brummett Wudel

    • Finding inspiration from Fannie Lou Hamer when freedom is under assault

      OpinionMary Alice Birdwhistell

    • Was that a blatantly racist tweet from a Texas senator or not?

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Here’s what pastors said this Sunday in churches not celebrating the Supreme Court’s abortion decision

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Together for Hope inspires communities to see what they’ve got more than what they’re lacking

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • CBF is ‘crossing over’ to a new era, Baxley tells General Assembly

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • With refugee numbers rising worldwide, racism remains a factor in where they’re accepted and how quickly

      NewsAnthony Akaeze

    • Summer state and regional meetings give a preview of how the split is going in the United Methodist Church

      NewsCynthia Astle

    • Churches must learn to adapt to ‘permanent transition,’ Leonard stresses

      NewsMarv Knox

    • While the SBC shuns women as preachers, CBF celebrates a new generation of women as preachers

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Transitions for the week of 7-1-22

      NewsBarbara Francis

    • For now, David Platt has won the battle against internal critics at McLean Bible Church

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Jesus calls women to ministry by name and asks them to rise up, Stewart says in fiery BWIM sermon

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Daniel Vestal writes of the changing chapters of life and faith

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Ministry jobs and more

      NewsBarbara Francis

    • Supreme Court once again hands conservative evangelicals a win for free expression over state establishment of religion

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Catholic bishops drop opposition to lesbian becoming a foster parent

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Christian nationalism links gun rights and ‘Christian nation’ ideals in dangerous mix, Tyler and Hollman say

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Was that a blatantly racist tweet from a Texas senator or not?

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Here’s what pastors said this Sunday in churches not celebrating the Supreme Court’s abortion decision

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Women of childbearing age are least likely to see strict abortion laws as best deterrent against abortion

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • U.S. State Department calls out Russia, China, Afghanistan, Myanmar for extreme religious freedom abuses

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Pranoto, Shaw, Smith and Younger join BNG board of directors

      NewsBNG staff

    • Uyghur American elected chairman of U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • When a Mexican cartel kidnapped a Baptist pastor, they got more than they bargained for

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • The Black community needs allies who listen and act, scholar says

      NewsPat Cole

    • Georgia Baptists hit snag on sale of 16-year-old headquarters property in suburban Atlanta

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • At Faith and Freedom conference, evangelical Christian voters once again abandon their concern for marital fidelity

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Annual report on Baptist women in ministry finds some gains but serious losses due to COVID

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • ‘Our Father’: A quiverfull of racism and anti-reproductive rights

      OpinionErica Whitaker

    • The consent of mothers

      OpinionJulia Goldie Day

    • Welcome to Gilead

      OpinionSusan M. Shaw, Senior Columnist

    • Dear closeted queer one, Pride is for you

      OpinionAmber Cantorna

    • Christianity: Where the end justifies the means

      OpinionPhillip Thomas

    • Why men should be concerned about the abortion ruling

      OpinionDarrell Hamilton II

    • Why I’m a pro-choice pastor: I’ve listened to the stories of too many women

      OpinionBob Browning

    • Who’ll bring the sackcloth and ashes to CBF General Assembly this week?

      OpinionMolly Brummett Wudel

    • Finding inspiration from Fannie Lou Hamer when freedom is under assault

      OpinionMary Alice Birdwhistell

    • The French Dreyfus Affair and Trump’s Big Lie

      OpinionDavid Gushee, Senior Columnist

    • Independence Day: Not to celebrate but to reflect

      OpinionKathy Manis Findley

    • Progress on sexual abuse in the SBC? Not so fast

      OpinionDavid Clohessy and Christa Brown

    • Reflections on my mother’s funeral: The heart has reasons

      OpinionDavid Ramsey

    • When ‘orthodoxy’ won’t hold: The SBC and the rest of us

      OpinionBill Leonard, Senior Columnist

    • Seven suggestions for preventing conflict before it happens

      OpinionBill Wilson

    • The gospel according to mammals

      OpinionTyler Tankersley

    • How God used Jay Bakker to teach me about race and loving all people

      OpinionMaina Mwaura

    • When a teenager gets kicked to the curb by Christian parents

      OpinionDan McGee and Linda Francis Cross

    • Unzipped: How (not) to commute

      OpinionEric Minton

    • When it comes to leading corporate prayer, are we really all in this together?

      OpinionMark Wingfield

    • Is America racist at heart?

      OpinionEugene G. Akins III

    • Note to self: Get rid of resting jerkface

      OpinionErich Bridges

    • Don’t keep sweet: Why white Christians need to celebrate Juneteenth

      OpinionErica Whitaker

    • Letter to the Editor: The importance of establishing best practices for pastoral searches

      OpinionLetters to the Editor

    • Hymn Stories: ‘Will You Come and Follow Me’

      OpinionBeverly A. Howard

    • New Zealand designates Proud Boys a terrorist organization

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • D. James Kennedy Ministries Loses Legal Battle Against ‘Hate Group’ Label

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Colorado GOP rejects candidates who back Trump election lie

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Donating to help women get abortions is a First Amendment right – protected by Supreme Court precedents

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Court upholds sentence of imprisoned Cuban pastor

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • 8 Christian Conservatives Who Promoted False Claims Of Rigged, Stolen Election

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • ‘Biblical’ insect swarms spur Oregon push to fight pests

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Mine can be built on Apache sacred site, Oak Flat, federal appeals court rules

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Evangelist Nick Hall: Christians have become ‘loud about everything but Jesus’

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Boston city council member walks back tweet about ‘letting the Zionists shake you down’

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Religious schools may face another hurdle to state tuition

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Counting the Cost of Paying Ransoms for Missionaries

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • At LA’s DisclosureFest, a milieu of New Age mysticism, capitalism and conspiracy talk

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Worshippers at Baptist church in Nigeria abducted

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Biden administration proposes protections for transgender students and against sexual violence in schools

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Columbia Theological Seminary students object to firing of Black administrator

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Pope orders online release of WWII-era Pius XII Jewish files

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Demolishing schools after a mass shooting reflects humans’ deep-rooted desire for purification rituals

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Has American conservatism abandoned the Christian right?

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • In Colorado, a GOP rarity: An abortion rights candidate

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • A church was ordered to rescind its gay deacon. Now it weighs its next step.

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Can the Church Still Enact Justice When a Pastor Sues His Accusers?

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Republican Lauren Boebert jokes about AR-15s and Jesus — and yes, she’s a ‘real’ Christian

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • This World Refugee Day, rising white nationalism meets the largest refugee population in history — which is no coincidence

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • How evangelical Christians are sizing up the 2024 GOP race for president

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    Conversations that Matter.

    © 2022 Baptist News Global. All rights reserved.

    Want to share a story? We hope you will! Read our republishing, terms of use and privacy policies here.

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • RSS