Abstract:

The term servant leadership comes from two words - servant and leader. These words seem to have opposite meanings, but servant leadership implies true leadership. In the Old Testament, Moses was recognized as the greatest model of a leader, despite scholars opposing his historical figure. He was the first leader whom the spirit of God has appeared to. God knew Moses and shared a deep spirituality with him; thus, Moses’ spirituality can be considered as his communion with God. Moses' community was not merely a political liberation-purpose community but a multicultural religious community. As a multicultural religious leader, Moses shows pastoral leadership, which also shows his pastoral spirituality revealed through the servantship of God and his community, apparent mind of mission, model of change, emphasis on the word of God as the prophet, pray for his people as the role of mediator, sharing the authority of leadership with his people and finally, the selection of his successor. Such a distinguishing spirituality led Moses to a typical model in the Old Testament. This study points out that the term ‘service’ often appears in the stories of Moses, the greatest leaders in the Old Testament, in the stories of Jesus and his disciples, and the models of service in the New Testament. It will also present the role of a servant leader in the modern society and the modern church.

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