The Will to Serve: An Anthropological and Spiritual Foundation for Leadership

The Servant-Leadership (SL) model as once introduced by Robert Greenleaf continues to be important in leadership studies. It is altruistic in its core, committed to the dignity of each person, searches for human flourishing, and stresses community and trust. But however important and commendable, Greenleaf’s SL model might need anthropological modification as it underestimates the reality of human sinfulness. The inappropriate attention given to evil in human nature in the SL model has devastating consequences for leadership. By way of alternative, the Protestant notion of two kingdoms is introduced, distinguishing the principles of governance in the public domain and those in the church as a faith community. Building on the work of Nicholas Wolterstorff, it is argued that in the public domain of institutions, agape love needs to be displayed in the form of fairness and justice.https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-29936-1_