LIBERTY UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF DIVINITY
Assignment Title: Christian Leadership in Crisis
Course: CHMN 699 - Internship
Student: Krisine Sage
Date: January 29, 2022
Professor: Dr. Joel Breidenbaugh
Christian Leadership in Crisis
Since the autumn of 2011 the concept of leadership has definitely been in view. The “Arab Spring” and
its ongoing fallout has brought into focus failing and abusive forms of leadership; a style of leadership
that demands and domineers and has little if any interest in people. On the economic front we still see
the repercussions of the poor, arguably self-centered leadership that caused the credit crunch, the
banking crisis and the global recession. In many countries, like a recurring bad dream, we also
repeatedly see somewhat less than inspiring political leadership. Is the sate of Christian leadership any
better?
There is a lot that is said and written about Christian leadership too. Much of it is not actually about
leadership at all, but is focused on theological, expositional, hermeneutical, worship facilitation and
communications skills. It’s also sad to say that Christian leadership today seems frequently to get
confused with the modern concept of celebrity. Where consideration is given to the vital skills of people
and organizational leadership, the Christian world so often seems to call upon secular, worldly models,
passing over the one role model who should be in focus – Jesus Christ.
This article is adapted from a paper published by Dr. Thorsten Grahn. It is a study on servant leadership
which was modelled by Jesus as he grew and developed the disciples into the leaders of his Church. As
such, this is a model that should have primacy in Kingdom service.
What is Servant Leadership?
It is the focus on the growth of the individual, that they might flourish and achieve their full potential
and not primarily the growth and potential of the organization, that distinguishes servant leadership
from other leadership styles. The primary concern of the servant leader is service to their followers.
In the secular business schools it was Robert Greenleaf who, in the early 1970s, proposed the servant
leader model. However, the concept of a servant leader is not such a modern concept, but can be found
in the biblical account of the life of Jesus Christ. By examining his model we can identify a Christ-centred,
Christ-like servant leadership style that works for Christians who lead people in any situation.
Jesus, the Model Servant Leader
Jesus submitted his own life to sacrificial service under the will of God (Luke 22:42), and he sacrificed his
life freely out of service for others (John 10:30). He came to serve (Matthew 20:28) although he was
God’s son and was thus more powerful than any other leader in the world. He healed the sick (Mark
7:31-37), drove out demons (Mark 5:1-20), was recognized as Teacher and Lord (John 13:13), and had
power over the wind and the sea and even over death (Mark 4:35-41; Matthew 9:18-26).
In John 13:1-17 Jesus gives a very practical example of what it means to serve others (see also “The King
Who Led With a Towel”). He washes the feet of his followers, which was properly the responsibility of
the house-servant. Examination of this passage shows that:
1. Jesus’ basic motivation was love for his followers (v. 1).
2. Jesus was fully aware of his position as leader (v. 14). Before the disciples experienced him as
their servant, they had already experienced him many times before as Master, and as a strong
and extremely powerful leader.
3. Jesus voluntarily becomes a servant to his followers (v. 5-12). He did not come primarily as their
foot washer, but he was ready to do this service for his followers if needed.
4. Jesus wants to set an example for his followers to follow (v. 14-15).
The Servant Leader
From the teaching and example of Jesus Christ we learn that being a servant leader in the most general
sense means being:
A voluntary servant, who submits themselves to a higher purpose, which is beyond their
personal interests or the interests of others,
A leader who uses the power that is entrusted to them to serve others,
A servant who, out of love, serves others needs before their own,
A teacher who teaches their followers, in word and deed, how to become servant leaders
themselves.
The Christian Servant Leader
Applying these considerations of Jesus as a role model for Christian leaders we can see that, from a
Biblical perspective, a servant leader is a person, who is:
Christ-centered in all aspects of life (a voluntary servant of Christ)
Committed to serve the needs of others before their own,
Courageous to lead with power and love as an expression of serving,
Consistently developing others into servant leaders, and
Continually inviting feedback from those that they want to serve in order to grow towards the
ultimate servant leader, Jesus Christ.
There are some implications worthy of note that arise:
The servant leader is a “servant in all things” in relationship to God.
This is the Christian servant leader’s higher purpose. He is also a “servant first” in relationship to people.
There is a big difference between serving the needs of others and being a servant of others’
needs.
oServing the needs of others is liberating. It implies recognizing their needs (without
judging them), and then doing what can be done, in line with the higher purpose of
serving God first, to help satisfy that need. Whereas;
oBeing a servant of the needs of others, requires that one must do anything and
everything possible to satisfy those needs, whether it is in line with one’s service to God
or not.
The servant leader themselves is a growing leader, led and grown by the Holy Spirit.
Jesus was the only human being who never abused his power.
Servant leadership is more about being than about doing.
3D Servant Leaders
There are three dimensions in which Christian servant leaders must grow:
1. As a voluntary servant of God
2. As a servant of others, and
3. As a leader.
If someone is already a committed servant of God and of others, they need to employ their leadership
gifts to serve others as a leader with the right use of power and with love. Leadership skills training,
continuous encouragement and feedback can support a servant leader in this growth process.
Someone, who is already a leader, but who wants to become a servant leader, also needs training,
encouragement and feedback, but they need a conversion towards servanthood much more. This
commitment must then be strengthened again and again. It is harder to learn to be a servant than to
learn to be a leader, especially for those who have been senior leaders for many years. Old habits die
hard.
The servant leader must be a “learning servant” who wants to grow both as a leader and as a servant.
Therefore, the servant leader invites feedback especially from God – through prayer, Bible reading, and
communication with spiritual mentors – and from the people being served. One way to start a feedback
process with the people being served is simply is to ask them how the leader can best serve them.
Ideally the feedback will be an ongoing process, resulting in the servant leader serving more effectively
according to the actual needs of the people.
According to the Bible, to become a servant of God and to enjoy serving others is not only a decision
that a person needs to take, it is first a gracious gift from God. More than this, because of our new
nature, as Christian leaders we should find ourselves readily drawn to the Christ-centred servant
leadership model. It is the “leadership style” of our role model, Jesus Christ, and as we see throughout
the Bible, serving God inherently includes serving others in line with his good plans and purposes.
Reflection
How do you compare to the leadership role model of Jesus? Are you drawn to the higher purpose of
serving God? Are you focused on your people, those who follow you (remember leaders have followers)
achieving their full potential for the Kingdom? It requires a conscious decision to become a servant of a
higher purpose and of others.
It may be that you have never looked at Jesus as a leadership role model. To discover more work
through the references given in Thorsten’s article. Take a look at the “King Who Led With a Towel”
series on christian-leadership.org
An interesting exercise is to read through Mark’s Gospel and look to see how Jesus led and developed
that disparate collection of men who became his disciples and to whom he entrusted his Church.
Remember, this Christ-centred servant leadership model is not just for Church leaders but Christian
leaders in Kingdom enterprises and secular organisations too.
