I’ll never forget it. The pastor sitting in the front row of the church during a service, looking towards the stage in front of the congregation. He lifted his hand in the air, snapped his fingers and the music stopped, without him acknowledging the person that obeyed his non-verbal command. This might sound like a small thing, but it left a sour taste in my mouth. It was by no means a good example of servant leadership.
I don’t remember if it was the music that stopped, or the lights that came or something else, but that’s not the point. The point is that this small action communicated a lot more than a simple request to turn off the music, it was actually a small snapshot of this pastor’s leadership style, or at least the type of leadership that he seemed to desire deep down. Sadly, this leader’s actions over the years communicated that he wanted to use others for his own means, and that he wanted to be served by others.
On one hand, this moment took me by surprise. But looking back on it, it doesn’t surprise me at all! Many leaders have the same desire to be served instead of serving others. And if I’m being honest, many times I deserve to be served by others too. This is just the reality of our fallen hearts. There is no doubt that it is healthy to freely receive other’s service, love and help on a regular basis, but left unchecked, and it can easily turn into unhealthy desire to be served by others. Seeking to be served by others shouldn’t be the heart posture of a Christian leader. In fact, Jesus calls us to a completely different and countercultural type of leadership – servant leadership.
What is servant leadership?
Dr. Fred C. Campbell is a man dedicated to the topic of servant leadership and is an expert in this area, so I’d like to share his definition (I don’t think I’ll come up with a better one!):
…servant leadership is leadership that submits to the authority of Jesus Christ, follows his example, and with integrity and humility, influences others by helping them reach God’s purposes in their lives. Putting it another way, servant leadership is CHARACTER and ABILITY under the authority of Jesus Christ. (Campbell, 2003, p. 6)
I agree with Campbell, Jesus is the best example of and the foundation for servant leadership – his life reflected service. We need to fix our gaze on Jesus is we want to learn more about servant leadership.
What did Jesus say about Servant leadership?
25 Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 26 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:25-28,NIV)
Jesus teaches us a lot about servant leadership in this short passage:
(1) The standard of the world we live in is that leaders oppress, abuse, and hurt those they lead – it’s a standard that we shouldn’t follow.
(2) Leadership in God’s Kingdom is upside-down because those that end up being “great” are those that make themselves “small”.
(3) Christian leadership calls us to be servants and slaves of others.
(4) If Jesus, the King of the universe, didn’t seek to be served, but rather served others and even gave his life for us, then we shouldn’t seek to be served either. We shouldn’t be concerned with prestige and power either. We ought to follow Christ’s example and serve others with love in our hearts.
When trying to simply define servant leadership, it’s important to consider what Jesus actually did during his time here on earth.
When reading the Gospels, it becomes apparent that he served others. Jesus spent countless hours teaching the multitudes, caring for individuals on a personal level, mentoring, healing the sick, freeing those in bondage to demons, helping several people with their emotional and spiritual needs and more. Many know the famous story of Jesus serving and washing the feet of his disciples and then later encouraging them to do the same.
And then the most significant example of them all: Christ died on a cross unjustly, took the punishment that we deserved for our sins, forgave us, and gave us eternal life. Jesus really is the best example of and the foundation for servant leadership.
A whole book could easily be written about the topic of servant leadership – this post is just a simple introduction. In summary, Jesus is the best definition and example of servant leadership that we have. We’re called to imitate our Lord. It is by no means easy to serve others and we will certainly make many mistakes along the way, but there is blessing in obedience, and he will help us to mold our lives around his principles.
What type of leader will you choose to be?