Being a Servant Leader

 I am afraid that some people want to be leaders because they want to be able to tell others what to do. They think they are smart, and they know what is best, so they can dictate what is done and who will do it. They don't end up doing very much themselves. They just tell others what to do. Then, they take the credit for it. That is what I see with a lot of leaders in our government and even in our churches. That is not the best way to lead.

Jesus made the right way to lead very clear to His disciples and to us, as His disciples today. (Matthew 20:25,26) But Jesus called them together and said, "You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. But among you, it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant." We all need to hear this because we are all leaders in some way whether we think we are or not. Someone is watching us and following us in some way.

This is the main reason why our church doesn't have committees. We have ministry teams. Often, a committee is a group of people with authority who make decisions and then tell others what to do. All they do is meet and give out directions to others. That doesn't work well, especially if they are making decisions about things in which they are not really involved personally. A ministry team is a group of people who work together to do a ministry. The leader of the team is working just as hard as the rest of them to do what the whole team has decided the Lord wants them to do.

That is being a servant leader. When people see that the leader is engaged in the work, they are more likely to follow. When they see that he or she is not just wanting authority or just wanting to be important, they will be more likely to follow. They will respect that kind of a leader, too. I believe this goes for pastors and all of the leaders in a church. They will not be followed by their people unless people see that they are doing the things that they are asking others to do. That is what Jesus did, and it is what we should do today.

Tomorrow, I intend to read Matthew 21-23.