People Spots Online
Produced by James W. Moss, Sr., and Church Consultants
Provided as a service by New Life Ministries

Servant Leadership

by James W. Moss, Sr.

Servant leadership is a unique concept. Even in the church this understanding seems foreign in today’s climate. Yet Jesus is the source of this truth. “Jesus called them together and said, 'You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant'" (Mark 10:42-43).

Leadership is an earned right. There is no such thing as positional leadership. You are not a leader because you are a president of a company, a denominational staff person, a pastor, or an elder or a member of your church’s council. Leadership is an earned right. I have intentionally repeated myself. How do you earn the right to lead? According to the words of Jesus, you earn the right to lead by serving people.

I’ve been around a long time. It seems there has been a dramatic change in this regard. So many pastors and lay leaders fail to grasp this truth. They believe they have been called to privilege. That is a drastic mistake. As Christians we are called to be servants. We are servants of the Lord, servants of his church, and servants of people. As faithful servants, we will earn the right to lead.

Jesus highlights a second leadership principle: "His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'" (Matthew 25:21).

Pastor Harry Jones said, “I know that I could be a good pastor if I became the pastor of this big church.” An observer said, “Why do you think you can be a good pastor there when you haven’t been a good pastor in this small church?”

Please know it is so important to take care of the little stuff. Many want the opportunity to stand in a place of privilege without paying their dues. They like what they see of the up-front stuff. What they don’t understand is the hundreds and thousands of hours of paying attention to the little stuff that is required to have the right to stand in the place of leadership. A leader takes care of the little stuff.

Mt. Lebanon Church just completed a new building. There was significant growth. Even people who should have known better were saying, “It is amazing what a new building is doing.” That was not true. They were reaping the rewards of 12 years of faithful and dedicated service. They had hundreds of little victories that made possible the big one.

Paying attention to the details is so important. Many times observers won’t even recognize everything that has been done unless it isn’t done. Then it becomes painfully obvious that leaders haven’t taken care of the little details.

Paul writes, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).

A Christian leader dies to selfish ambition and replaces that natural longing with the desire to be a faithful servant and do what God wants us to do. WWJD (What would Jesus do?) is not just a motto for a teen’s bracelet. Faithful Christians strive to seek and obey God’s will for their lives.

We are much better off being in the center of God’s will in a servant role than being in a prominent spot outside of God’s will.

The Christian leader who is willing to be a servant, who is faithful in the little stuff, and who has submitted his or her lives to the will of God will receive the ultimate compliment from Jesus: "Well done, good and faithful servant!” (Matthew 25:23).

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April 20, 2007. Volume 10, Issue 3. People Spots Online is prepared by James W. Moss, Sr., and Church Consultants. It is provided as a service by New Life Ministries, www.NewLifeMinistries-NLM.org. Articles may be duplicated and reproduced in any way with proper credit. A new article is produced about every two weeks. To be added to a list to receive these messages directly by e-mail, send a request to churchconsultants@yahoo.com.

Servant Leadership

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