Dale Roach - The Servant-Leadership Style of Jesus: A Biblical Strategy for Leadership Development

Dale Roach

The
Servant-Leadership
Style of
Jesus

A Biblical Strategy for Leadership Development

Copyrightot 2015, 2016 .

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Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by the International Bible Society. Used by permission of the International Bible Society.

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ISBN: 978-1-5127-2730-2 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5127-2731-9 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5127-2732-6 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2016900728

WestBow Press rev. date: 03/09/2016

Contents

The creation of this book has grown out of a treasure of friendships that have encouraged me to think on the subject of being a leader while at the same time being a servant. I have received a true gift from the Lord in the wealth of relationships he has introduced into my life. I also must express my deep appreciation to Camille Hiott,and Caleb Breakey for their editing skills.

Servant-leadership has been a way of living for many people in my life. I am sure that I would have never thought of this subject or even considered writing about it if it were not for some wonderful followers of Christ in my life. Some of the strongest and most vibrant servant-leaders I know have been the women in my life. There is something extremely powerful about godly women who love the Lord and people in their lives. It is with great pleasure that I dedicate this writing to my mother, Helen, my daughter, Elizabeth and my best friend and wife, Shelley. Over the years, I have watched all of these women explain to me by their actions what a true servant-leader is all about.

Jesus called the Twelve and said, Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all. Mark 9:35

What is the definition of servant-leadership? Is that phrase a contradiction? Can a leader be a servant? Can a servant be a leader? Some may find it difficult to combine the two words. Together, they dont make sense in a culture of self-promotion and self-centeredness. For most people, servanthood and leadership do not go hand-in-hand.

To serve someone else is a discipline that must be learned and practiced. I was born in 1961. To many young people that sounds ancient. Being a little over a half century old does declare that one has some age on them; however, in my lifes experiences I have been among people of various generations. In fact, when I was born, there were five living generations of people in my family. I also had the privilege of being introduced to a woman in 1983 who was born in the 1880s. To engage in a conversation with someone over one hundred years old is a privilege I will never forget.

In the New Testament Jesus completely redefined leadership and re-arranged the lines of authority.

My journey of growing up in the southern United States introduced me to a way of thinking that has somewhat faded in todays culture. I was raised in an environment of leaders who believed in serving other people. This way of thinking was founded upon the teachings of Jesus. Although the term servant-leadership was never used during these early times of influence upon my life, that was exactly the type of behavior that was being modeled to me. The men and women in my extended family had a solid belief that caring for those around them was a calling in life.

In the New Testament Jesus completely redefined leadership and re-arranged the lines of authority. On one occasion, He told His disciples, Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me (John 12:26). Jesus made it clear that serving others would produce a reward for those who practiced this behavior. Those Christian uncles, aunts, grandparents, and parents in my life who knew Jesus also knew how to live by His teachings.

Being a healthy leader requires much more than being a ruler or a boss; it calls for dedication and sacrifice. Garry Collins wrote, Great leaders do not lord their leadership over people, exercise control, and authority, or jockey to get positions of prominence. Great leaders, instead, are servers.

Servant-leadership is a life-long process. Becoming a servant was the foundational plan of Jesus ministry strategy. It is a practice that takes the proud and makes them humble. If an individual Christian desires to become a leader, he or she must become a true servant. How does this take place? This type of behavior only happens when Christians live in an ongoing, growing relationship with Jesus Christ, who was the creator and perfect model of servant-leadership.

In reading through this book and studying the Scriptures provided, you will find that it was never Jesus intention to promote Himself. The focus of Jesus ministry was to proclaim the Kingdom of God. There were times when He miraculously healed someone, and then gave instructions not to tell anyone (Mark 1:44). This type of instruction is a sign of a servant-leader who was not self-promoting. Those who follow the example of Jesus understand that real and honest servant-leadership is all about helping others, not oneself. Thus, community development, a goal that some modern Christian cultures are ignoring and brushing aside, is an important aspect of servant-leadership.

Furthermore, Jesus recruited and empowered other people to help, thereby modeling the importance for servant-leaders to grow other servant-leaders and to avoid isolation. It was never Jesus intention to work alone. Chuck Lawless wrote in his book Discipled Warriors , Leaders who work alone are asking for the Enemys attacks. He goes on to say that we are most susceptible when we are alone.

Unless you serve, you will never, ever lead. Leaderships a piece of cake when you learn how to serve. There is no greatness without servanthood. There is no success without submission.

Tommy Ne lson

Becoming a servant-leader requires training from an expert in this practice. Jesus wisdom and guidance in this area cannot be compared to the instruction of any other teacher known to mankind. We can learn from the lessons and practices of Jesus to help us strive for and embrace servant-leadership in our faith journey. John wrote it
this way in his epistle to the early church, whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked. (1 John 2:6) That walk with Jesus that John wrote about calls us to examine and apply the strategy of the Teacher. Tommy Nelson penned these words, Unless you serve, you will never, ever lead. Leaderships a piece of cake when you learn how to serve. There is no greatness without servanthood. There is no success without submission. The goal of this book is to understand servant-leadership as Jesus taught it and to submit to His teaching, coaching, and inspiration to become servant-leaders.