By Doyle Roth
In churches across America we hear the appeal for more people to accept the challenge of becoming leaders. There seems to be a continual need. I teach a class on leadership at St. Louis Christian College. My preacher, Ben Merold, travels across the country teaching leaders how to be more effective. It is amazing the number of books, seminars, and conferences on the subject of leadership.
The need for leaders in the church covers a wide spectrum. In addition to the qualified and godly men needed as elders, churches are also looking for adult Bible study teachers, small-group leaders, children”s teachers, and student ministry leaders. It seems every church is looking for board members and leaders for committees, ministries, outreach events, and women and men”s ministries. The list can go on and on.
Why does it appear there is a shortage of leaders in our churches? Do we need more teaching of leadership skills? Is there a lack of preaching on this topic? Or do we view being a leader in the church as more positional, rather than a role of serving and responsibility?
A DIFFERENT ATTITUDE
A well-known story in the Gospels is of a mother coming to Jesus on behalf of her two adult sons and asking for premier positions of authority in Heaven. (There was nothing too good for her two boys.) It”s interesting what happened when the other 10 disciples heard about it. The Bible says they were “indignant” (Matthew 20:20-28 and Mark 10:35-45). Luke 9:46 describes an argument among them over “which one of them would be the greatest.” The disciples were spending time with the Messiah, who came as a servant and would die for all mankind, and yet they were arguing over who would be the greatest and have the best seat in the house. How sad.
Jesus called them together and told them not to be like the Gentile rulers and high officials who “exercise authority over them” (Matthew 20:25). Instead they were to approach being a leader with a completely different attitude.
Jesus said, “Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave” (vv. 26, 27). He gave an example of this type of leader when he said, “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (v. 28).
Does this same attitude exist in our churches today? Is there a desire for recognition, important seating, a title, applause, to be “in charge”? The answer is a resounding yes. Those who desire positions and status are quick to call themselves leaders. Is there ever strife today over who has the leadership title? Are there hurt feelings over who gets the recognition (or perhaps who doesn”t)?
I heard of one lady telling another, “You should go serve. They need some help.” When asked, “Why don”t you help?” the first lady replied, “That”s not my role. I have the gift of leadership, and you have the gift of serving.”
A DIFFERENT POSITION
Wasn”t Jesus clear in his teaching on position and authority? Just like the disciples, we confuse the role of leader in the world”s eyes with the call to servanthood that Jesus issued for his followers.
After teaching his disciples daily for three years, they still did not grasp what it meant to be a servant leader. John 13 tells of Jesus” last meal with the twelve before he was arrested and crucified. Preparations were made for the important Passover meal””but one thing was forgotten. There was no one to wash the feet of the men as they arrived. Everyone gathered, but no one bothered to pick up the towel to begin the humble service of washing feet.
Jesus surely was overwhelmed with all he was to endure that night. Yet, he saw the need of the men so he took the towel and basin and got on his knees and washed their feet. The Son of God, who was about to take the burden of all the sins of mankind upon himself, still saw the simple need of his friends to have their feet washed.
Perhaps, along with a diploma, we need to give our Bible college graduates a towel to remind them their new “position” of leadership is one of “washing feet” in service. It is sad that we get caught up in position or status and fail to see the simple needs of those around us; it”s sad we do not have a heart”s desire to fill their need.
The Bible repeatedly teaches us the role for Jesus” followers:
“[Jesus] made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant” (Philippians 2:7).
“Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant” (Matthew 20:26).
“The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve” (Matthew 20:28).
“. . . To prepare God”s people for works of service” (Ephesians 4:12).
“Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men” (Ephesians 6:7).
“There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord” (1 Corinthians 12:5).
Did you notice the apostle Paul does not say there are different kinds of leadership, but service? When Jesus called his disciples from their fishing boats, he told them they would become “fishers of men, “ not “leaders of men.” Jesus” disciples became laborers in the kingdom for the salvation of men.
FOLLOW THE SERVANT
Perhaps instead of leadership classes we should have servanthood classes. Our senior minister, Ben Merold, has instructed us to look for signs of a servant attitude when we interview someone for a position on our staff. We use chairs in our church building instead of pews, which are not as versatile. This means we are constantly stacking and moving chairs. Ben will not hire a candidate who desires a position but does not automatically join in stacking chairs. We need servants as ministers of the church, not position holders.
As a child we all enjoyed the game “follow the leader.” Remember the fun of being in front and going wherever you wanted, and everyone had to follow you? It”s a feeling we sometimes cling to as we enter adulthood and our careers. But Christians need to set this selfish desire aside and realize the call on our lives is to lead people to Christ by serving. The followers of John the Baptist were very concerned about John”s (and their) diminishing influence in the presence of Jesus. John had the correct attitude when he said, “He must become greater; I must become less” (John 3:30).
Do we use the world”s term leader too often in the church? How would it be if every time the word leader were used in the church, we replaced it with servant?
Among the ministers on staff at my church, we have designated team leaders, which helps us with organizing and planning. I wonder if there would be an attitudinal adjustment among them if the titles were changed to team servants? Would a more appropriate term for a Bible study leader be a Bible study servant? Instead of appealing to the church for leaders in some ministry, maybe we should try asking for servants.
Jesus clearly taught we would lead people to Christ by serving him and serving one another. Instead of looking for a position or recognition from men, our heart”s desire should be to emulate the servant attitude of Jesus and some day hear the Master say, “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21).
Doyle Roth serves as executive minister with Harvester Christian Church, St. Charles, Missouri.
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