Servant Leadership Program

Whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave; even as the Son of man came not to be served, but to serve...
                                                                      Matthew 20:26-28

Today’s society is searching for strong, effective leaders, and traditional leadership skills are not enough. Leadership should be undertaken as a service to the greater good of others, rather than for more selfish purposes. That’s why McMurry University offers a unique, exciting program for students not only to gain general education credits, but also to become involved in the Abilene community.

While the program offers a number of courses, its major component is the Servant Leadership class. Inspired by Robert K. Greenleaf’s concept of the servant as leader and McMurry’s Christian heritage, the course exposes the student to the nature, styles, and skills of leadership; and introduces the concept of service in leadership and leadership in service. Taught in an interactive atmosphere, two of McMurry's professors lead a group lecture each week, teaching the principles of leadership.

A second session each week is composed of small groups, led by juniors and seniors trained in the Servant Leadership concept and in group dynamics. Each small group is designed as a seminar/discussion venue for the leadership skills introduced in the lectures. The groups gain hands-on experience as they apply those concepts and techniques through extensive work with local non-profit entities in the Abilene community.

While fulfilling three credit hours of the general education requirements, the course and its field experiences inspire students to see servant leadership as a way of life rather than just a brief experience in their academic careers.