Servantship is essentially about following our Lord Jesus Christ, the servant Lord, and his mission--it is a life of discipleship to him, patterned after his self-emptying, humility, sacrifice, love, values, and mission. Servantship is humbly valuing others more than yourself, and looking out for the interests and wellbeing of others. Servantship is the cultivation of the same attitude of mind Christ Jesus had: making yourself nothing, being a servant, humbling yourself, and submitting yourself to the will and purposes of the triune God. Since servantship is the imitation of Christ, it involves an unreserved participation in the missio Dei--the Trinitarian mission of God.
In this pioneering work, sixteen servants describe the four movements of radical servantship. Servantship is the movement
1. from leadership to radical servantship;
2. from shallowness to dynamic theological reflection;
3. from theories to courageous practices; and
4. from forgetfulness to transforming memory.
Servantship recognizes, in word, thought, and deed, that "whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave--just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."
"Servantship, as a collection of essays, has a global appeal for leaders both inside and outside the walls of the church. As Robert Greenleaf unknowingly produced a movement from outside the church that proved transformational for the topic of leadership studies within the church, this new work has the potential to transform leadership studies well beyond the walls of the church by transforming the culture of leadership studies within the church's walls."
--Wayne Ballard, Associate Professor of Religion, Carson-Newman University
"Ever since Robert Greenleaf's pioneering work on servant leadership, there has been a need for a thorough theological exploration of the subject. Graham Hill's insightful book meets this need in a balanced and thorough way. There are many books on leadership but the servant dimension has often been overlooked. A timely contribution."
--Martin Robinson, Principal of Springdale College, Birmingham
"Servantship reflects a constructive effort to paint a picture of what following Christ means and what it entails. . . . The result is a sensitively drawn portrait with artfully nuanced strokes that will inspire new ventures of service in imitatio Christi. . . . This is a book thoughtful Christians will want to read."
--Neville Callam, General Secretary of the Baptist World Alliance
"Servantship deserves prime place among recent missional books, offering a powerful corrective to leadership-fixated churches. Combining thoughtful theology, cultural analysis, and practice, its stories and questions humble and inspire. It jolts you to see what's missing today. From the Australian context, Graham Hill has provided a challenge to the Western church that we dare not ignore."
--Michael Quicke, Charles Koller Professor of Preaching and Communication, Northern Seminary
"I am excited to recommend this important new work on servanthood and leadership. Graham Hill's book offers important insights and correctives to all of us and our views of leadership. Together the contributors help move us from the board room, back to the role of the bowl and the towel."
--Terry Walling, Adjunct Professor, Fuller Theological Seminary
Graham Hill is Senior Lecturer in Applied and Pastoral Theology at Morling College in Sydney, Australia (a theological college affiliated with the MCD University of Divinity and the Australian College of Theology). He is the author of Salt, Light, and a Ci
