The Servant Leader
Servant-leadership serves others by investing in their development and well-being for the benefit of the common good. Thus a good Christian servant-leader serves God through investing in others so that together they may accomplish a task for God's glory.
Leadership isn’t a new concept; there have been leaders since the creation of the world. But when Jesus came along, he decided to flip the narrative of leadership on its head. People didn't expect that — at all. And it’s not the kind of marketing strategy you’d find in a best-selling “how-to” leadership book today.
In Matthew 20:25-28 (NLT), this is what Jesus said about leadership:
“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, and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many’.”
Leadership isn’t about making our names known. It’s about making God’s name known and having the ability to love and respect the people in our care, using the authority we’ve been given with grace.
There’s this beautiful Christian-ese phrase we use to describe the kind of person Jesus talks about in Matthew 20 — a “servant leader.” In Christ, the goal of our leadership is not to grab power but to serve.
No matter whether you’re the CEO of an organization, an older sibling, the drum major of a high-school marching band, or a volunteer at church, everyone is leading someone. So how do you become a servant leader?
While we might not have a bestselling book to reference (sorry!), we do have six different qualities to keep in mind if you want to become a servant leader.
