Over the past twenty years an avalanche of secular leadership books and consultants have embraced the concept of servant leadership. Patrick Lencioni goes so far as to insist servanthood is fundamental to all leadership:
Calling something servant leadership implies that there’s a different kind. All leadership is servant leadership. That’s what it should mean to lead. I am at the service of the people I lead.
Secular leadership gurus roll out this idiom like they invented it, but we know our Lord Jesus laid out this model of leadership two thousand years prior:
whoever wants to be great among you will be your servant, and whoever wants to be your leader will be everyone’s slave. (Mark 10:43)
But what does this term actually mean? What does it mean for the everyday people leading teams of other everyday people in our churches? How does Jenny lead the welcoming team at her church as a servant? How does John lead the kids team in his church as a slave?
More than Simply Leading by Example
Some team leaders assume servant leadership means that they should lead the charge, do heaps of the work, and prayerfully hope their team members will follow them. Jenny does most of the welcoming, jumps at every new person she sees, and does the lion’s share of the follow up—all in the hope that her team sees her efforts and emulates her actions. John takes prepares all the lessons, all the crafts, all the games, and does all the clean-up—and hopes that the team will back him up and support him.
It is good to work hard for the kingdom and not ask your team to do something you wouldn’t. At the same time, this often leaves the team members feeling useless and unnecessary. Every time Jenny welcomes a new person, her team misses out on an opportunity to do the thing they’ve signed up to do. Every time John preps the craft, his team misses out on an opportunity to learn or develop their own ministry skills and serve Jesus.
Not Just Doing What the Team Wants
Team leaders sometimes think servant leadership means they submit to their team ideas and preferences. Whatever the proposal, the team leader gives permission and makes it happen.
Leaders should be open to input and initiative of their team members. The problem comes when the team wants to do something that’s not helpful. The kids team might want to run an dangerous activity or teach something not-quite-biblical. Part of being a team leader, even a team servant leader, is taking responsibility. A team leader shouldn’t let their team go astray, only to cry, “They told me to!” or “It was their idea!”
Supporting Team Members in Their Ministry
Beyond leading by example, and far better than merely doing whatever the team wants, team leaders should focus on supporting their ministry team members to be better team members. The role a netball coach plays in helping their team win the competition isn’t to run on the court during the game. Rather, the coach gets the team ready, watches them play, and helps them improve. That’s how the coach serves the team: by helping all the team members do their roles well.
That’s a picture of servant leadership. Jenny looks at her welcoming team and considers how she can help them welcome new people. She doesn’t just give them jobs to do; she gives them advice, support, guidance. In love, she helps them to serve others. The same goes for John’s kids team. John doesn’t do the kids ministry for his team, nor does he just dump it on them and leave them to drown. Rather, he looks at his team and works out how he can support them, whose skills he can develop, who needs to have a crack at trying something new, who might do with a week off and a fresh start.
Adopting the Leadership Style the Team Needs
Serving your team means using various leadership styles and tools that help your team members even if they’re not your preferred style of leadership. John might like being the type of leader who checks in on every team member and likes knowing what everyone is doing. While some of his team members might really appreciate that level of interest and involvement, others might feel like he is hovering over them. They might even call it micro-management. But, a servant-hearted leader will put their own preferences aside and lead in a style that most suits the other person.
In the same way, Jenny might prefer being a very hands-off team leader. She might assume the best way to lead her team is to hang back, give loads of freedom and very little direction. And while this might be what some people like, many team members could be left feeling unsupported, directionless, and frustrated because they don’t know what they’re meant to be doing.
The most loving and servant-hearted way any team leader can lead their team is to be the type of leader they need you to be. The leadership style we use, day to day, moment to moment, should be guided by a servant-hearted desire to help our team members the best way we can.
