One of the elements in our Living Church of God commission is: “Learn and practice servant leadership in all our dealings with others.” As you brethren may remember, I detailed these seven elements in the May-June 2001 Living Church News.
But are we doing this?
In our previous association, some (not most!) of the ministers tended to act in a high-handed way. They often had the deacons and others waiting on them—looking after their children, mowing their lawns, cleaning their homes, etc. And they often would not really listen if someone had a problem, or concern about their approach. A few of these ministers were noted for strongly correcting anyone who “got in their way.” They were, sometimes, “little dictators!”
Then, there were the “super deacons”—again a small minority, but noted just the same. They were also high-handed and bossy—constantly showing the great “authority” they had as deacons. So, some of the brethren felt that the ministerial/deacon hierarchy was too heavy-handed and that they did not have a genuine serving attitude and that, often, even older members could be unkind or uncaring to the newer or more sensitive brethren.
The Apostle Paul was inspired to tell us: “We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves; let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to edify him” (Romans 15:1–2, RSV). If any of us are placed in a position of authority within the church, we must always remember that it is for service—not to show how important we are. We should often remember to read and meditate on Jesus’ instruction to His disciples along these lines. After Jesus detected an attitude of self-exaltation and competition among some of His disciples, He called them to Himself and told them: “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:25–28).
So the attitude and approach of service must be demonstrated in our dealing with others. Each of us in any position should try to use that position as an opportunity—not to aggrandize ourselves—but to genuinely help, encourage, strengthen and serve our fellow brethren. Often, this will involve exercising patience and humility when those we are serving sometimes oppose us or sometimes “get their feelings hurt” too easily, or try to undermine us in some way. Unfortunately, brethren, human nature will always be with us! But we must learn to sincerely listen to others and try to respond to any reasonable suggestions and even learn from those we are serving.
Jesus Christ said that the second great commandment is: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:39). We must constantly think on this command if we are to be genuine Christians. If any of us are in positions of authority, we should especially try to be sensitive to the potential, the plans, hopes and dreams of those who work under us. We should try to use them to the maximum of their human potential for the sake of the task at hand. At the same time, we should try to help and nurture them as human beings—not just “use them up” in doing a job to accomplish something we want done. We should try to “get inside their heads” to understand how they think—their problems at home, their health problems, their reactions to their fellow workers or supervisors and their ultimate goals in their career. As best we can, we should try to help them fulfill their hopes and, as stated before, their human potential.
Therefore, if we are “important” enough to be in a position of leadership, we had better learn to be “big” enough to think through all these things and try to serve those who are assisting us! Again, Jesus said: “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). Brethren, if we are sincerely trying to give ourselves to others—to lay down our lives for our fellow man—we will always tend to reflect servant leadership in our relationships with others. If we are, in fact, their “leader” in the sense of being over some project, some committee or perhaps a deacon, deaconess or elder in the Church, we should always approach our responsibility with the thought: “How can I best give and serve the people who will be working with me in the project at hand?” In all that we do, we should be reflecting Jesus Christ—the very One who gave Himself and even His life blood for all of us!
Jesus said: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34–35). This sign of genuinely loving and serving one another should be reflected whether we are “in charge” of a project, leading others, or if we are “under” someone else who is in authority. In any case, we should try to help each other, back each other up to the degree we can, and genuinely serve one another—as we are serving Christ.
Experiencing the interaction with fellow Christians in God’s Church—which is Christ’s body—and learning to occasionally lead or be responsible for the actions of others is part of our training to be kings and priests in Christ’s coming Kingdom. The Apostle Paul tells us: “Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Do you not know that we shall judge angels? How much more, things that pertain to this life? If then you have judgments concerning things pertaining to this life, do you appoint those who are least esteemed by the church to judge? I say this to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you, not even one, who will be able to judge between his brethren?” (1 Corinthians 6:2–5).
We are to learn to properly and fairly discern various situations in our interaction with others. We should constantly ask God to give us wisdom—and to help us be equitable and fair. We should study the statutes of God in the Old Testament. And certainly we should study and meditate upon the teachings and examples of Christ and the apostles as they magnified God’s law in the New Testament. Then, with God’s help, we can learn to rightly judge the situations that are presented to us in the Church and in the Work of God. But again, in all this, our attitude should be one of serving in the fear of God.
Since all of us will eventually be kings and priests if we are counted worthy of the Kingdom of God, we should apply the principles of the Apostle Peter’s instruction to the elders. For we will be far more than human elders as we become kings in God’s Kingdom. Here is what God inspired Peter to write: “The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed: Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock; and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away. Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for ‘God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble’” (1 Peter 5:1–5).
You will note that one in charge—an “overseer”—is to serve eagerly and honestly and humbly. They are not to be “lords” over those entrusted to their care. In all things they should be “examples” to the flock. Each of us, fellow brethren and ministers, must apply these principles to ourselves. And we must certainly follow Peter’s instruction in verse 6: “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time.”
In all of this, we will make mistakes from time to time. Human nature is still with us! So we have got to constantly forgive each other along the way in an open and heartfelt way—not carrying grudges or hurt feelings over past mistakes. Nevertheless, each of us in any position of authority or leadership must try to carry out our responsibilities in the fear of God and in an attitude of deep love and genuine service to those who are working with us or who are under our leadership in the project at hand.
Let us all learn to reflect Jesus Christ in this way. Let us all learn to sincerely grow in and practice servant leadership to the glory and honor of the God we serve and the Savior who gave Himself for us.