In this article Richard J. Krejcir discussed the checklist of a Servant/Incarnational Leader. He discussed being a Servant leader is focusing on the “glory of Christ, not of self!” In this checklist he discusses how good Servant Leaders are: “servants, relational not loners, available to others as Christ was (Mark 1:32-39), venerable, admit mistakes, take blame, persuade and promote their church to be hospitable, they reward people, make them feel loved and important, are teachable, and humble.”
Krejcir also indicated that although “strong willed personalities are born; biblical leadership is formed by being in Christ.” When discussing the team surrounding the Servant Leader the questions he asks are: “Is there a sense of love and trust within the team? Does the team feel appreciated? Does the church and upper leadership support you and your team” The Servant/Incarnational Leader needs to understand their team and support them through loving and shepherding them.
The main point of this article really boils down to the fact that true Servant Leaders are “exercising real, godly leadership as Christ did when He used a towel, and influencing, equipping and empowering people to accomplish God’s purpose and plan.” “It is about our personal and spiritual growth and that of others. It is being an example and imitator of Christ so not only are we planted, growing, and thriving, but we are planting seed and cultivating others to do so, too (Philippians 3:10-17; 1 Timothy 4:11-14; 2 Timothy 2:15; Titus 2:6-8), says Krejcir.
The biggest challenge that we face to be the best servant leader we can is to keep ourselves totally grounded in Christ first, everything else next.
© 1993, 2005, Richard J. Krejcir, PhD Schaeffer Institute of Church Leadership, www.churchleadership.org
I'll take this one
ReplyDeleteComing from a Brethren background, I love that this article says that true servant leadership is Jesus when he used a towel. The Brethren have deep roots in humility and servanthood. We practice foot washing as part of our Love Feast because it grounds us to what it truly means to be a Christian. A Christian, at the very core, must be a servant. This is the example that Christ has given us in Scripture. Jesus served all those around them, and humbled himself to the point of sacrificial love on the cross. As leaders, if we want to emulate Christ (which a really hope all of us truly desire), we need to follow after his example.
ReplyDeleteJesus Himself commanded us, “Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet” (John 13:14 NIV). As Brethren, we understand this as both a literal command to wash one another’s feet, but also (and more importantly) to be a people who serve each other in the same way Christ served his disciples on that night. As leaders in this world, the only thing that is going to set us apart from everyone else is the humble heart of servant leadership.