Humility and Servant-Leadership: Toward a Solution of Pastoral Narcissism
Open accessAbstract
The world contains healthy and toxic leaders, and these leaders make an impact—for better or worse—on their followers. While healthy Christian pastors may exude humility and positively affect congregants, the issue of narcissism among pastors is more prevalent than one may expect. This article explores the literature related to humility, servant-leadership, and narcissism—painting the ideal of humble pastors, linking the ideal with servant-leadership, presenting the problem of narcissistic pastors, and moving toward the beginning stages of proposed solutions. Depending on the severity level, churches may opt for a period of renewed growth from the pastor or outright replacement of the pastor. The article concludes with recommendations for application and future research.
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Sorted by citations
Sangwa, S., & Mutabazi, P. (2025) · Open Journal of Science Philosophy & Theology · doi:10.65655/0x17qf26
Influence of principals’ servant leadership traits on teachers’ job performance
Haider, M. H., Qamar, A. H., & Irfan, M. (2026) · Journal of Emerging Trends in Social Sciences and Humanities · doi:10.68065/joetssh.03.04.123
- Authors
- Bryant, L. W. R.
- Affiliations
- None
- Corresponding author
- Bryant, Luke W. R.
- Venue
- International Journal of Servant-Leadership
- Published
- 2024-12-25
- Volume
- 18
- Issue
- 1
- ISSN
- 2160-8164 (ISSN-L)
- 2160-8172
- OpenAlex
- W4406003878
- Cited by
- 0
- References
- 49
- FWCI
- 0.00
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- International Journal of Servant-Leadership (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Religious studies › Contemporary Christian Leadership and Education
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Personality Traits and Psychology
- Social Sciences › Demography › Workplace Spirituality and Leadership
- Keywords
- humility, servant leadership, narcissism, Christian pastors, toxic leadership, church renewal
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