Servant Leadership

8-30-2010

Servant Leadership by Boyd Bailey


“Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—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 20:26 b-28

Servant leadership is service. It is not jockeying for position, nor is it politicking for power. Instead, it is posturing for the opportunity to serve. This does not bode well for the insecure soul in need of abundant attention. Servant leaders avoid the limelight and serve in ways that many times go unnoticed. It’s the little things make a servant leader. It may be taking out the trash at home or making the coffee at work.

No task is too menial to the servant leader, but there is something bigger than behavior that distinguishes a servant leader. It is an attitude of how to make others successful. He or she knows that if those around them are successful, then there is a good chance they will experience success. Self-service, on the other hand, builds a culture of mediocrity.

Self-service is all about taking care of one’s own little world and not giving any thought to the needs of other team members. The unspoken rule is: survival of the fittest. This self-service contributes to a scarcity mentality. If I serve you then you may look better than me. You may get all the credit. This fear factor facilitates competition instead of cooperation.

Servant leadership is not caught up with getting the credit, for the servant leader has put to death the need for recognition. The attention and credit can easily flow to others, which is where it belongs. Instead, the servant leader may give away opportunities that come his or her way. Creating value for others becomes the goal. Titles will come in God’s timing, so seek to serve, and let status find you.

Jesus was the servant leader of all servant leaders. He boldly confronted the sins of the religious hypocrites but washed the feet of His disciples. He ran out those who commercialized the temple but had time to allow children to sit on His lap. He questioned the motives of threatened leaders of the day, while taking the time to feed and teach thousands of people. Jesus did not cower to the power brokers on the left or the right.

Instead, He challenged their theology and questioned their character. Jesus served quietly on most occasions and boldly as needed. No sincere seeker was neglected, and His motive was to serve for the glory of God. His ultimate service was laying down His life for the human race. Consequently, as a follower of Christ, you can become a better servant leader because Jesus seeks to serve through you.

You can’t, but He can. Submit to Him and watch Him use you to serve. Die to getting attention and credit while celebrating the success of others. Quietly volunteer for the next lowly task. Set up others to succeed. Give away your life and you will find it. This is the example of Christ. This is the model of serving and leading in the way of the Holy Spirit.

The Bible says, “But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code” (Romans 7:6).