1.2 Servant Leadership – “Pathways: Following Biblical Patterns”
The Servant Text:
“Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:43-45)
Elder’s Definition:
“Practicing servant leadership in Christian ministry is self-giving service with others after the pattern of Christ through example and persuasion in order to achieve extraordinary commitment and contributions toward mutually shared Kingdom goals”
Course Introduction:
When I was pastor of Gambrell Street Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Texas, I preached a sermon series from 1 John entitled “Walking Today With Jesus.” That week, Dr. T. B. Maston–a member of that congregation–asked me to come by to see him. After he referred encouragingly to the sermon on 1 John 2:5-6, he went on to reflect on the text with fervent passion:
“Pastor, in recent years, I have come more and more to hold that verse before me as a pattern for my life. There is no greater challenge to me than to walk as Jesus walked.”
I thought then as now how that must explain Dr. Maston’s devotion to Christ and his church, as well as the impact of his brilliant scholarship.
Servant leadership is the biblical pattern for all of us in Christian ministry. If we are to be consistently faithful; if we are to plunge to the depths and explore the heights in service to Christ and to others, we must walk that pathway with Jesus!
Putting Yourself on the Pathway
• Should this study provide you with fresh images for consistent, effective leadership?
- Pathway – a noun from the 15th-century Old English, meaning: a path, course, foot path, a trodden path designed for a particular use.
- Pattern – a noun from the 14th-century middle English (“patron”) and Medieval Latin (“patronus”), meaning: an original form or model proposed for imitation, an exemplar, person worthy of imitation, a representative example.
• Does Christ and biblical teachings form a “bundle of nerve fibers” coursing through your whole spiritual being?
• In your life and leadership, Christ the course you follow, the route you take?
• Have you found, or are you pursuing, your model or pattern, after which to design your life and leadership?
• What are you including in your leadership pattern: ideals? styles? characteristics? relationships? consistent priorities?
Reflections with Anticipation
Years ago a businessman flew to England for a week-long conference. In the opening session, the leader asked (as usual), “What would you like to get out of this conference?” Misunderstanding a “what?” for a “when?” that same conferee answered, “Oh, about noon tomorrow.” I’ll risk it anyway: “What do you want and need to receive from your study of this course?
Hebrews 12:1-2
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
The Challenge: Life-Time Practice
The real challenge of this course for most of us is to put servant leadership into our daily pathway and practice. It is a challenge to unlearn some things and to move ahead into “a more excellent pathway.”
We should, all of us together, consistently practice servant leadership as a lifetime journey. Jesus did, and He taught us to do so (see Mark 10:43-45).
The graph below seeks to picture servant leadership in five components, from the large frame of serving in Christ’s power (window #1) to the more specific of doing each task competently (#5). That is a holistic way of viewing our challenge.
What is this course all about?
Course Objective:
You will be challenged and enabled as a Christian leader to explore and apply the biblical patterns of servant leadership to your own life and journey, seeking to follow the example of Christ.
• To explore the biblical language of “servant first, then leader.”
• To follow Jesus as the ideal servant leader.
• To link your discipleship to your leadership.
• To discover and practice your spiritual gifts in leadership.
• To learn from the variety of leadership style among biblical champions.
• To develop yourself and others along the pathway of servant leaders.
Reflection/Application:
In the next four weeks, what three major leadership opportunities could profit from your intentional application of servant leadership?
1.2 Servant Leadership Outline
Pathways: Following Biblical Patterns
This study is developed in eight units, each seeking to describe the pathway and the ones on the journey.
Unit 1. Servant First, then Leader
Unit 2. Jesus, the Ideal Servant Leader
Unit 3. Following: Leadership through Discipleship
Unit 4. Gifted for Christian Service
Unit 5. Spiritual Gifts and Servant Leadership
Unit 6. Choosing Your Champions: Old Testament
Unit 7. Choosing Your Champions: New Testament
Unit 8. Learning Along the Pathway
Course Conclusion: Taking the High Road