"Servant leaders are in the place they belong, with people they love, doing work that is theirs, on purpose"
Servant Leadership Development
The Center for Sharing seeks to prepare servant leaders to live out their call in service to community. We do this in two ways: offering courses on servant leadership development; and mentoring leaders as they practice in community.
Robert Greenleaf was a pioneer in thinking and teaching on Servant Leadership. In his work, he defined the best test of a servant leader as follows:
Do those served grow as persons? Do they, while being served, become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to become servants? And, what is the effect on the least privileged in society; will they benefit, or, at least, not be further deprived?
We offer a variety of learning opportunities for individuals and groups who aspire to these outcomes in their communities. It all begins with the desire to serve others.
Through a combination of study, introspection, reflection and relationship building, we seek to build a better, more loving, more just society in the places where servant leaders practice. Communities become healthier as leaders invest values of love, compassion, respect, purpose, and community.
Our preparation courses nurture spiritual wellbeing as we:
- Expand our awareness to make more intentional choices.
- Strengthen our souls and spirits.
- Clarify our purpose.
- Transform our inner demons.
- Deepen our connections with God, self, others, and creation.
Course descriptions:
Contact our office for information on upcoming classes and schedules
Mentoring Communities of Practice
The Center for Sharing has become home to a growing network of communities of practice in the USA, Mexico and the Philippines.
Etienne Wenger describes a community of practice as a group of people who share concern or passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly.
Many of the servant leaders we know have been called to serve in very hard places. To provide ongoing support for them in their communities around the world, we host two types of networks: Community of Servant Leaders and Partners in Authentic Community.
Servant Leader Networks
Community of Servant Leaders (CSLs)
Graduates of the 3-month Servant Leadership 101 course are invited to join the Community of Servant Leaders. This community gathers for quarterly dinners at the Collegium, with opportunities for fellowship, story-telling, and deeper learning.
Because servant leadership is more than theory, these opportunities to gather and learn from each other as we practice in our places is invaluable.
As we gather, we remember the 7 Principles of Servant Leadership that we hold in common:
- Commitment to follow Jesus wherever he leads
- Special attention to those being excluded now
- Shared leadership
- Mutual respect, support and accountability
- Authority around gifts and call
- Speak truth and cherish
- Holistic care for the common good
Partners in Authentic Community (PAC)
Groups who have completed all four levels of the servant leadership formation courses and have formed a mission group around a specific call are invited to join PAC.
PAC was formed in 2015 as a unique community of practice. Members represent place-based, servant-led mission groups who live their lives together in a specific place, while sharing work they are called to in nurturing a more loving, more just society. We gather these mission groups together on an annual basis for further reflection and renewal.
Each mission group further commits to regular disciplines and practices as part of their inward-outward journey together.
Current members include:
- Center for Sharing SLD Mission Group, Pasco, WA
- Centro de Compartimiento, Oaxaca, Mexico
- Shepherd's Home for Servant Leadership, Batangas City, Philippines
- Nueva Esperanza Leadership Academy, Pasco, WA
Additional resources
The Call to Community: Fruits of Servant Leadership
The first publication of the CFS, with stories of servant leaders from the around the world.
