The Adventure of Servant Leadership

Over the years, I've had a number of reasons to work at becoming a better leader. When I married my wife over 33 years ago, I needed to become a good head of our home. When I became a father over 25 years ago, I needed to become a good parent. As a teacher, I need to lead others in their quest for understanding. And as a ministry leader, I need to bring people together and help them work productively for the glory of God. Whether at home, at work, or at church, we each have many opportunities for leadership - and we honor God when we develop our leadership abilities and use them for His glory.

Far and away the most thought-provoking and stimulating example of leadership you'll ever find is the example of our Lord Jesus Christ while He was on earth. As Philippians chapter 2 reminds us so powerfully, He did not appear on earth as a conquering King, but as a humble child. And when He finally became an adult, He did not live as a self-serving leader, but as a servant leader.

What a contrast He is to most leaders you know! In verse 5, God says this: "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus." We desperately need more servant leaders in homes, in businesses and in churches across our continent.

But you're probably asking, "That's easy to hear, but hard to do. How can I become a servant leader like Jesus Christ?"

To help answer that, let's consider several ways we can be servant leaders at work or at church. These principles fit either setting, and good listeners will see applications to family life also.

Let's begin with the intimidating responsibility of choosing teammates. When adding new members to the team, a servant leader looks beyond outward appearances and tries to understand the heart of a potential teammate. Are you accountable for selecting people to handle any responsibilities at work or at church? If so, you may have wondered how, as an example to you, Jesus chose His disciples. I have news for you: Based on their outward appearance, His choices were a total mystery! Look at their resumes: No star athletes, no wealthy businessmen, no political leaders - and no religious leaders either. Yet, with His motley crew of fishermen, a tax collector and various other unglamorous people, He built His church. If you're a part of His church today, you are evidence of their fruitfulness. You are proof of the wisdom of His choices.

By way of application, sometimes your best teammates will be the least obvious initially. Following the example of Jesus, I encourage you to look beyond their resumes. Man looks at outward appearance; God looks at the heart. Examine each candidate's history of joy, success and interests. A person with the related experience may not be nearly as effective as the person with a heart for what needs to be done.

A second way that servant leaders lead is by communicating openly with others. It's important to communicate freely, and as fully as appropriate. Cutting people out of the communication loop unnecessarily suggests that you think they aren't important enough to include. A servant leader serves his people by communicating as freely and as fully as appropriate for that situation.

When I say open communication, I'm sure you realize that I don't mean flooding everyone with distracting information and mountains of unnecessary details. There's a balance in this that a good servant leader will recognize. What I'm saying is that withholding pertinent information from others is bad for relationships; it's good for people to know that which is appropriate for them to know, at the appropriate level of detail. Including them shows that you respect them.

Another area of communication in which a servant leader is different is in the uncomfortable area of confrontation. There are times in every home, business and ministry when one person needs to confront another about a behavior or performance problem. Those times are challenging, because the need to confront often occurs at a moment when emotions are already pretty volatile. A mature servant leader will not duck that responsibility to confront, but will do it right. Galatians 6:1 provides this principle:

Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.

This passage suggests that the right way to confront is to do it in the context of showing respect for that person, recognizing that we can also be vulnerable to the same problem he has.

One good way to confront is to affirm him, then identify the problem and its implications. After that, agree on corrective action and then affirm your confidence in his ability to take that corrective action. Under-girding all of this firmness, is the spirit of gentleness in which it is presented. That's how a servant leader leads.

A third way that servant leaders lead is by knowing and supporting other members of the team. That is, servant leaders build relationships and help their teammates succeed in their responsibilities.

There are at least three involved in supporting your team. First, help them discover how God designed them. We all need the perspective of others to understand how we fit into this world. Your insight affirms their strengths and helps them understand how they can honor God by accepting the roles most appropriate to their individual design.

Second, help them develop in the areas that you and they sense God wanting them to grow. How do servant leaders help their team members grow? By giving words of encouragement, by sending them to seminars and by providing opportunities for them to gain additional experience. A servant leader is a steward of his or her team's potential. The servant leader figures out how to develop their potential within context and within budget.

Third, plant them where they are gifted, not simply where you need a slot filled.

"Sure," you say. "I'll help them discover and develop their gifts. I'll plant them where they are most gifted. Then they'll leave us. Or, worse, they'll take my place. Or—horror of horrors—they'll become my boss. Great idea, Dr. Garmo."

My response is that a good servant leader will risk that. Why? Because if we release our grasp of control or status, it's one way we can express our true worship of God. It demonstrates our faith that God is in control and He is the One to be honored. If God wants a person to leave your team - or to take your place - who are you to stand in the way? In fact, would you even truly want to be an obstacle to God's development of that person? I don't think so. It's much more fulfilling it is to be part of His plan for that person. That's what servant leadership is all about.

Well, let's close by summarizing the adventure of servant leadership. First, a servant leader looks beyond outward appearances and tries to understand the heart of a potential teammate. Second, a servant leader communicates openly and respectfully with the rest of the team. Third, a servant leader supports the success of each team member, for the glory of God.

May your servant leadership at home, at work and at church be an act of worship like that! May it be your "I love You!" to God. Program close for Worship 59 (Servant Leadership):

Phil 2:3,5 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. .Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.

© 2007 John Garmo. If you would be interested in using this article, please contact us at Info@MissionToChildren.org.