Key Considerations for Servant Leadership in the Twenty-First Century Church: Striking a Balance Between Serving the Needs of Individuals and Fulfilling God's Vision for the Whole Church

Some leaders are driven to lead - they want to be in charge, to make decisions, to give orders. But other leaders will assume leadership only if they see it as the best way they can serve. If you like, they are called to lead, rather than driven to lead, because they want to help others. Pastor servant-leaders are servants first and are called to lead because it is the best way they can serve the church. Jesus Christ was able to strike a balance between addressing the many felt needs that he encountered and moving the people he influenced to God's preferred future for them. His assertion that Isaiah 61:1-3 was fulfilled in Him, is assurance that those who have Him resident in their lives will be moved 'to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for captives and release for prisoners...and provide for those who grieve.' His connectedness with the needs of the people He led was obvious. However, His overall purpose for them was that 'they will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of His splendor.' (Isaiah 61:3) Even His meeting of individual needs had a far-reaching purpose: He was planting oak trees. This dissertation will explore the balance of visionary leading and insightful caring as pastors lead their churches in the twenty-first century.