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Week 4-Discussion Thread- Serving
Others
Biblical Foundation of Christian Leadership (Liberty
University)
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Servant leadership is not easy for carnal minds to practice. It is the kind of leadership style that
Jesus practiced and showed His disciples to practice if they would be exalted in the kingdom of
God. (Matthew 20:20-28). Jesus showed this to His disciples when He washed their filthy legs, a
duty usually meant for the least to show them that leadership in the kingdom is about serving
others while remaining humble (John 13:1-5). In servant leadership, one will put others first
before oneself in contrast to the worldly style of leadership which promotes and elevates the self
above others to exercise leadership relevance. With the worldly kind of leadership comes some
manifestations of the flesh that are difficult to overcome naturally making it difficult to take the
role of servant leadership. Howell noted, “elevation brings with it heightened opportunities for
the vices of greed, arrogance, and vanity to creep in and overtake one’s soul.”[1] These vices
come naturally to all mankind and hence it is very difficult to naturally humble oneself. This
makes it very difficult because one must die to the flesh to be able to take on the modest role of a
servant and forgo all the privileges that leadership brings. The pride and arrogance of the flesh
make it very difficult. It is very important to take the role of a servant in the kingdom of God if
one must be great as Jesus told His disciples (Matt. 20:26-28). Howell also noted, “Greatness in
God’s kingdom consists in imitating the Son of man who came not to be served but to serve.”[2]
To nurture the attitude and lifestyle that places others above oneself, one must first be genuinely
transformed through the salvation and sanctification experiences (2Cor. 5:17). Secondly, one
must put on not the childish but the child-like mindset of the kingdom of God. Since all these
self-aggravation and self-elevation stem from pride, one must put on the garment of humility to
be able to take the role of servant-leadership. Thirdly, one must be ready to put others first
before oneself. For example, the mother of James and John brought her children to Jesus
desiring the highest position in the kingdom for the two of them above others which was not
consistent with the way of service that Jesus taught.
A very concrete example of servant leadership was that of a general overseer of a church with
many pastors under him. They were all taught about service and were expected to serve. A senior
pastor and another pastor were arguing over washing the toilet. When the general overseer got to
know about this, he stopped the two of them from the argument, took the cleaning materials, and
began to wash the toilet. They wanted to take it over from him, but he never allowed them. This
is a very good example of showing servant leadership.
[1] Don N. Howell Jr., Servants of the Servant: A Biblical Theology of Leadership (Eugene,
OR: Wipf & Stock Publishers, 2003), 189.
[2] Ibid.
Bibliography
Howell, Don N. Jr., Servants of the Servant: A Biblical Theology of Leadership. Eugene, OR:
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Wipf & Stock Publishers, 2003.
