nurturing servant leaders in religious education - Scholarly ...

CES and integrity
When asked what it meant to be a “true servant leader” directors gave answers that
focused primarily on ideals, meaning that to them a true servant leader was one who
lived completely their beliefs. The meaning of the word “true,” hence the quotation
marks, was deliberately left undefined and could have been interpreted in various
ways. Again, it was important for the researcher not to sway personal interpretations
of what a true servant leader was, as one of the aims of the study is to define servant
leadership in CES. The word true before servant leader translated for directors into a
person full of integrity, and one wholly committed to living a life patterned after Jesus
Christ,
A true servant leader practices what they preach. A true servant leader lives what
they teach. A true servant leader honestly loves those that they are working with
or serving. And a willingness to sacrifice, I think, of self (DC).
A true servant leader is one who is a model, who sets a good example for others,
and follows Jesus Christ’s leadership model. The one who shows care and love for
those who are leading (DB).
I think of Christ, that’s true. President Hinckley, to me they’re true servant leaders
(DA).
CES and relationships outside of CES
One participant, who outside of the CES serves as a bishop in a Samoan congregation
of the Church, attributed his experience in the CES in part to his changed views of
carrying out familial responsibilities. He mentioned that even with two matai 21 titles,
he saw that while the role of the matai is to serve the family in public matters, the fact
21 The word matai means chief “and is an honour that is bestowed in Samoan culture. The role of the
matais is very complex and interwoven deep into the fabric of Samoan culture and history. Matais have
family, civic, political and prior to the arrival of the European, religious duties to perform. A matai title
can be given to either men or women, although you will find far more men with titles than women. It is
usually given to someone in acknowledgment for services that have been rendered. A family might
give a title to a relation who has been able to support them through hard times or village might give a
title to someone that has done something that has been of benefit to the village as a whole. (Matai,
2004).
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