Pastoral Marriage Conference 2021 :: Servant Leadership Pt 1

Pastoral conferences have officially resumed!  TLA hosted 32 couples from June 17-19, 2021 for a three-day marriage conference in Musanze, Rwanda. These couples traveled from Rwanda, Kenya and Uganda and came from four main denominational backgrounds: Baptist, Pentecostal and Evangelical Church and Ministries International. For three solid days, each pastor and their spouse dove into the Word to study the biblical meaning and application of “servant leadership”.  The conference was facilitated by Dr. Faustin Ntamushobora, CEO of TLAfrica, Inc.; Dr. John Salvesen, Senior pastor of Bear Creek Bible Church, Jim Brace from BCBC (he gave a powerful testimony about servant leadership when he was Captain of a ship) and Rev. Callixte Kamanze, Pastor with the Pentecostal Church in Rwanda.

Upon arriving on Wednesday, June 16, 2021, all the pastors and their spouses went for a rapid COVID-19 Test to ensure the safety of everyone. All guests stayed together at the Home d’Accueil St. Vincent where the conference was held, so that they could fellowship and study together. Every morning, one of pastors would lead devotions before beginning their sessions. On Thursday, the devotions were about the faithfulness of Titus, Paul’s mentee. On Friday it was about the call of Abraham. On Saturday it was about challenges that pastors face in ministry.

Thursday’s Sessions About Servant Leadership

The conference kicked off with defining what servant leadership means from the Biblical perspective. Pastor Salvesen exposed the passages of 1 Samuel 16 and 30. Contrasting Saul and David, he explained that servant leaders take God’s perspective in order for them to lead with wisdom as opposed to the worldly leaders who use their own perspectives. He also explained that good leaders begin as humble leaders and seek strength from God in their walk with him and in their leadership for His people.

Then we discussed how to know ourselves and our spouses. He explained the four temperaments to describe personality types: sanguine (enthusiastic, active, and social), choleric (short-tempered, fast, or irritable), melancholic (analytical, wise, and quiet), and phlegmatic (relaxed and peaceful). We also discussed the 5 love languages: Words of Affirmation, Quality Time, Physical Touch, Act of Service and Receiving Gifts. The pastors found these two concepts to be very helpful to know themselves and their spouses, and to cultivate healthy relationships with their spouses and others. Furthermore, they discovered that the two personality descriptions – temperament and love language – are essential in any relationship, especially with those who minister with the pastor and even the congregation at large.

In the following session, we examined the qualifications of good leaders, highlighting what servant leaders should and should not do. We studied that a biblical leader…

• should not lord it over those under him (1 Peter 5:3; 2 Corinthians 1:24; 2 Corinthians 11:20);
• must maintain a humble,
• servant spirit;
• not be a dictator;
• must not exercise his authority harshly to tear down people (2 Corinthians 13:10);
• should use his authority to edify and build up;
• should not lead others to follow Him instead of Christ (1 Corinthians 1:11-17);
• should promote and preach Christ, not himself or his ministry
• should not let his position or performance cause personal pride (1 Corinthians 3:9; 2 Corinthians 12:1-10; Galatians 6:13-14);
• that a biblical leader full of pride is useless to God.
• should not lead people astray from the truth and principles of the Word (Jeremiah 23:13-14; Isaiah 3:12; James 3:1; Matthew 23:14)
• should not listen to ungodly counsel (Psalm 1:1-2; 1 Kings 12:1-15; 2 Timothy 3:1-5; 1 Corinthians 15:31-33).

What is your Temperament and Love Language?

Do you know that of your closest relationships and how does that inform how you relate and communicate with them? Can you identify how your temperament and love language aid or hinder your ability to be a leader and witness to others as described in their afternoon session?

To read about Part 2 of the conference, click here…