Called to Servant Leadership
Throughout my time in the corporate world, I’ve encountered a multitude of different leaders and leadership styles. I’ve learned, from both favorable and unfavorable situations, how much my day to day is impacted simply by the character of those calling the shots.
A while ago, I interviewed for a particular opening in my company. It was a role I wasn’t sure I was interested in, but was attracted to because of the manager hiring. Though I had not worked directly with that person, I had fresh memories of them setting aside a busy plate to help me with challenges completely unrelated to their area. I saw firsthand the way they helped, advocated for, and served those on their team.
This person was a servant leader.
I approached the interview process with the mindset that, even though I had yet to decide if the work was right for me, it was worth pursuing the opportunity to work under someone whose leadership would motivate me to lean in. Fortunately, I was right.
Servant leadership has been widely emphasized in modern secular books by popular thinkers like Simon Sinek (one of my favorites). The principle is simple: followers know whether or not they matter to the followed, and they respond accordingly.
This is no cutting edge idea. It’s a philosophy as old as Jesus’ time on earth.
That brings me to Mark 10:43-45. After foretelling His crucifixion to His disciples, Jesus is asked by James and John for a seat at His right and left hand in His glory. Instead of an outright rebuke for their selfish and rather untimely request, Jesus seizes the opportunity for an important teaching moment. He first asks if they are prepared to drink the cup He drinks; a prophetic warning which would fall on deaf ears. He then follows with a lesson on service.
Contrasting the power-hungry mindset of Gentile rulers with His style of servant leadership, He tells them,“...But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his His as a ransom for many.” (43b-45)
A few things stick out to me here. First, Jesus challenges the prevailing worldly standard of power and influence. He not only points to servanthood as good morals, but as the only means of influence in the Kingdom.
Secondly, He concludes by painting the ultimate image of servitude. Paul expands on this in Philippians 2:5-11 by encouraging them to make their attitude that of Christ, whose sacrificial love drove Him to take on flesh, trade kingship for slavehood, and be nailed to a cross. “For this reason, God highly exalted Him”, verse 7 says.
Lastly, we see throughout Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, that those who saw His servitude responded. They responded to love in action. They responded to feeling understood and cared for. They responded to an evident desire for a joint mission, rather than individual benefit.
I, for one, can’t count how many times in my day to day life I seek to be served. I grumble when the car in front of me is driving too slow. You’re making ME late! I mumble to myself when a coworker isn’t pulling their weight. How dare they hold up MY project. I roll my eyes when my food is taking too long. Where’s MY order?
And it happens in the church. We enjoy debating theology and church strategy, we consume teaching and fellowship, yet church leaders frequently lament the “80/20 principle” - that is, 80% of the work typically gets done by 20% of the people. How can we expect to show lost people a Christlike heart of servitude if we can’t even do it in our own house of worship?
I go back to Paul’s challenge in Philippians 2:5. Service cannot be merely a thing that we do. It is an attitude. An attitude that constantly sets aside our individual wants in favor of helping to better our families and communities. An attitude I have continuously learned from my aforementioned supervisor.
What if every member of every church in Lake Norman was so sold out for serving within the body, that the mindset eventually flowed into serving outside of the body?
What if it were Christ’s ambassadors being the first to help a coworker buried by a difficult assignment?
What if it were Christ’s ambassadors being the first to deliver groceries to an ill neighbor?
How are you modeling Christ’s servitude in your church? In your home? In your workplace? Are you involved in an area of service on Sundays? Do you serve your spouse in ways that set an example for your children? Do you go above and beyond for others in your workplace?
I believe that our path to influencing culture is not in winning arguments, but in letting our actions speak for our hearts. Not all of us are called to lead businesses or government institutions, but we are all called to the servant leadership that is to be salt and light in our world.
The people around us will see it, and they will respond.
~ Jared Grenfell and his wife Grace have have been active members of the LIFE Fellowship community for several years and lead a young adult LIFE Community. Jared has served in various roles on the LIFE Worship team including Music Director.