Western Christianity’s Emphasis on Leadership - Is it Biblical? (Post 1)

Servanthood Lessons for the Christian Nonprofit Sector, Post #1

The Disparity Between Culture and Scripture

When I was in grad school, I took a class on New Testament Leadership Principles. It was fascinating and it continues to impact how I think about and practice leadership, especially now that I serve as the CEO of Gospel Mobilization. Since graduating many years ago with my Masters degree in Missional Leadership, I’ve continued to study, observe, and implement things I’ve learned. But what I’ve discovered has surprised me.

The Bible has much more to say about servanthood and followership than it does about leadership. We often read about Jesus calling us to the lower position, as opposed to us seeking a higher position. Consider these verses,

“He must become greater; I must become less.” (John 3:30)

“Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.” (Mark 9:35)

“Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.” (John 13:14-15)

“rather, he [Jesus] made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant” (Philippians 2:7)

Looking at the Scriptures as a whole, the term "leader" is mentioned a mere six times in the King James Version of the Bible, while the word "servant" is listed more than nine hundred times.

Walking into a Christian bookstore (yes, some still exist!) reveals shelves filled with books on leadership. Some popular titles are: The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by John Maxwell, Designed to Lead by Eric Geiger and Kevin Peck, Called to Lead by John MacArthur, and Lead Like Jesus by Ken Blanchard and Phil Hodges. While many of us recognize these titles, can we name a Christian book on servanthood?

I searched for the keyword, "leadership" on a Christian college’s library website and it revealed 754 results. In contrast, searching for "servanthood" yielded only 13 book results. There exists a significant disparity between the emphasis placed on leadership in Western Christianity and the emphasis found in the Bible. I wonder if we are prioritizing the wrong thing.

Please don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying books on leadership are bad. I’m simply wondering if the topic of leadership is overemphasized in the West. I’ve personally benefitted a great deal from books on leadership. One of my favorites is Opportunity Leadership by Roger Parrott. Books on leadership have helped numerous people improve their skills. Those of us who read them desire to improve ourselves for the glory of God and His Kingdom, and that’s a wonderful thing. But some scholars have noted that North American Christians are obsessed with the topic of leadership. For example, see Arthur Boers, Servants and Fools: A Biblical Theology of Leadership and Leonard Sweet’s text, I Am a Follower: The Way, Truth, and Life of Following Jesus.

It seems to me if we want to follow the biblical example and instructions of Jesus, our priority should be taking the very nature of a servant and practically serving others. That doesn’t mean we shirk our duties as leaders of an organization. Rather, for me, it is a shift in mindset as to my position. Rather than having a sense of self-importance or thinking of a leadership role as a position of power, or the chief decision-maker, I want to view it as a lowly servant’s role. And because I wanted to be reminded multiple times a day what my priorities, purpose, and mindset should be, I asked our board if I could change my title. So, I’m now the Chief Servant Officer at Gospel Mobilization — because I want Jesus to become greater and I must work to become less.

Redefining the "Christian Leader"

When we hear the term Christian leader, what usually comes to mind? Someone with lots of charisma who can implement change? A polished and well-educated megachurch pastor who influences thousands of congregants? Someone who instinctively knows what to do and how to do it? None of these examples are negative, but throughout the biblical text, those whom God called to be leaders did not quite fit the mold of what people thought leaders should look like. God choosing David to be king is a good example. I Samuel 16:7 reads, “But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not consider his [Eliab’s] appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.’ ”

Historically, most people and most eras did not regard leadership positively, and the West’s strong interest in leadership is a relatively recent cultural phenomenon. Boers notes that, "Nowhere does the Bible think of leadership as we use that term today," and he suggests that most of what the Bible says about leadership is actually negative, concentrating more heavily on leadership failures. Furthermore, nowhere in the Bible does Jesus ever ask us to become leaders. But he does ask us to be servants.

Dave Jacob
Chief Servant Officer
Gospel Mobilization

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