I was saved at Calvary Chapel of Costa Mesa (CCCM), and learned to serve at CCCM. Pastor Chuck was my pastor, and I had the privilege of enjoying some walks around the CCCM campus with him. One of the many memories of his influence was his habit of picking up pieces of paper or other trash as he walked around the campus. He never thought the task was beneath him. Nor did he think there are maintenance people who are responsible to pick up the trash, so let them do it. For more than 25 years, I have found myself doing the same thing where I currently serve—picking up wrappers in the landscaping or trash in the parking lot. And the younger pastors on our staff do likewise. Chuck never told me to pick up trash, and I never told anyone to do it, but Calvary Chapel simply promoted the actions and attitudes of serving.
Servant leadership is a core value of our family of churches.
Thesis: Servant leadership is best defined and exemplified by Jesus who came to serve rather than be served. In contrast, the world’s model often centers around power, position, and pride—a desire to be served.
Jesus Promotes Servant Leadership
Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many (Mark 10:43-45).
If anyone deserves or is entitled to be served it is Jesus, the Son of Man. Nevertheless, He unequivocally declares He came to serve, not to be served. In a world that tends to exalt the number of people who serve you, Jesus links greatness to serving, not being served. Promoting servant leadership begins with our attitudes, and ends with our attitudes rather than our actions per se. We are to serve God by serving others. And attitude should precede action.
Believers can engage in behavior that is improperly motivated. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus’ kingdom manifesto, He urges His followers not to do their good deeds for the applause, accolades, or approval of people, but instead to be motivated to please God (Matthew 6:1-4). God knows our motives, others generally do not, and sometimes we may be deceived about our own motives.
There is nothing wrong with affirming people or commending them for their service. It is arguably good, healthy, and right to express gratitude to those who serve. Yet, the desire for accolades, affirmation, and approval is not the right motive for serving God by serving others. Our attitude towards serving will often be revealed by an absence of applause, affirmation, or accolades. If we feel unappreciated, frustrated, or resentful that our efforts are not acknowledged, then we are likely needing to grow in our attitude as servants of Christ, who serve God by serving others.
There have been times, realistically more than I can count, that I felt unappreciated or frustrated about serving, and each of those occasions is a reminder that my attitude needs to be aligned with Jesus who came to serve not be served. Whether volunteers, church staff, or the leader(s) in a local church, the attitude of serving needs to be taught, modeled, and promoted constantly to conform a value to a reality.
Earlier in my ministry experience, I did not heed the humble example of John the Baptist, “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30). My thought was more like, “He must increase, and I can increase too.” No one else likely knew that I was harboring those thoughts, that wrongful attitude, but God knew, and I did too.
Leaders, especially those on a platform, are frequently the recipients of accolades, applause, and affirmation. Trite platitudes like, “Glory to God” provide a convenient cover for the quest for reputation. Nevertheless, to promote genuine servant leadership, we must relinquish desire for reputation, and voluntarily take the form of a servant.
Ultimately, humility and others-centeredness flows from obedience to God and death to self. Jesus models this in His Incarnation, life, ministry, and death on the cross. It is an antidote for conflict in the local assembly, and it is a necessary antecedent to forge genuine servant leadership.
The World and Flesh Promote Power, Position, and Pride (Matthew 20:20-28)
Shortly before Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, the disciples are contemplating positions of power and authority in Christ’s kingdom. James and John recruit their mother, presumed to be Jesus’ aunt, to request favor—specifically that James and John would have the most prominent positions of authority in Christ’s kingdom. When the other disciples heard about this, they were extremely upset with their fellow disciples. Jesus called the 12 together to not only address the conflict, but to correct their understanding of authority and servant leadership in His kingdom.
The rulers of the Gentiles, or the world’s leaders, lord power, position, and authority in a way that is self-seeking. In essence, pride and selfishness seek to be served rather than to serve. This dynamic regarding the world is not surprising. On the other hand, it is disheartening to see the world’s attitude toward power, position, and pride displayed among Jesus’ disciples. Yes, they would be radically transformed as they received the Holy Spirit, but their flesh nature, and ours, will not be fully crucified this side of eternity.
Each of our Calvary Chapel churches and leaders are susceptible to the insidious snare of the flesh producing the same scheming, conflicts, yearning for power, position, prominence, popularity, and pride as James, John, and the others, if we are not bridled.
Servant leadership has become increasingly popular in the marketplace. In that context, it is a means to an end(s): greater productivity, greater retention of employees, greater profitability. In that case, servant leadership is simply sophisticated manipulation. In contrast, Jesus does not denounce the desire for greatness, but invokes the principal that the means in His kingdom is through serving God by serving others. Ultimately, this is not to get anything but to give one’s life.
Let us consider some diagnostic questions to embrace and navigate the tensions to live the value. These tensions are created by the reality of leading an organization (i.e., the local church) and duties beyond those such as taking out the trash. In addition to teaching and modeling servanthood to disciple others, true servanthood is manifest when no one but God sees. It seems that unless leaders engage in actions of service that no one but God sees, that it is unlikely to promote true servant leadership in the local assembly.
1. Do our cultures reflect Christ-like servant leadership?
Would visitors, congregants, volunteers, and staff conclude that those who have positions that naturally confer authority in the church (e.g., Senior Pastor, Lead Pastor, Pastor, Elder, Staff, Leader) are there to serve rather than be served? Do people comment, “The leaders of this church serve unlike leaders in other churches I’ve been part of”?
2. Does our culture reflect a CEO or servant leadership style?
Does the leadership dynamic reflect the marketplace model of hierarchical authority? Does the model reflect a corporate-like ascension scheme such that those occupying the higher rungs enjoy and seek privileges, perks, benefits, and comforts at the expense and efforts of the labor of those on the lower rungs?
3. How does the pursuit of celebrity status threaten servant leadership?
Have the most prominent leaders bridled the ambition of ego that pursues popularity, fame, and celebrity (or pseudo-celebrity) status? It can be very easy for a leader to seek to leverage a platform under the guise of advancing Christ’s kingdom and reputation, and secretly seeking to advance their own reputation. He must increase and we must decrease, or we are not promoting servant leadership (we are promoting self, along with Jesus).
4. How might entitlement threaten promoting serving leadership?
The belief that a leader is inherently deserving of privileges or special treatment is simply a sense of entitlement. The Greco-Roman world that dominated culture at the time of Jesus’ earthly ministry, and the New Testament, provided almost no rights to servants/slaves. They were like property to be used (or abused) by their master at their discretion. As Jesus spoke of servant leadership in this context, there would be little to no sense of entitlement associated with being a servant. The thought of being entitled to privilege or special treatment because of a role, responsibilities, or extensive efforts is the bane of servant leadership.
5. How does empowering and edifying others promote servant leadership?
Jesus told His disciples that they would do greater works than their Master (John 14:12). This was not simply a commencement address in the Upper Room to encourage them, but a promise regarding what He called them and equipped them to do. Servant leaders build-up, empower, and encourage those they lead to do greater works. Rather than keeping others down to maintain prominence, they actively promote others to excel and advance.
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