It really doesn’t matter what area of life we are discussing; be it secular employment, child rearing, or church leadership, it all comes down to relationships. We are only as effective as the depth of the relationships that we establish with other people. As go our various relationships, so goes the surrounding structure. If this is the case, and I believe that it is, then we would be well served to do whatever is necessary to improve our relationship skills. If we are going to fulfill our mission as Christian leaders, and live out the legcy of our calling, then there are a couple of relationship points that bear remembering.
First, we do not, nor can we, exist in isolation. As much as we may earnestly desire the opposite to be true from time to time, it is impossible for any person to reach their full potential by themselves. Naturally flowing from this thought also is the point that the Church cannot fulfill her mission if we isolate ourselves as Christians. We need one another in order to fulfill our potential. If we are talking about marriage or certain sports the principle seems obvious, but in leadership we tend to believe that we can make it alone. The maverick, lone ranger, my way or the highway styles of leadership seem to be the ones that grab our attention the most. As much as we may admire the leaders who appear able to function all by themselves and make things happen, we need to understand that these styles of leadership run contratry to what is modeled for us in Scripture.
Paul, would lead us to understand that we are all connected, members of one another. And as such, if one person falters we all are harmed. This means that even the leader, is only as effective as those men and women being led. In order for me to achieve, I must ensure that each individual member is achieving. My individual success depends upon our collective success as individuals. What does this mean for me as a leader? What kind of leader does this turn me into? What, given these facts, must I become in order to succeed? A servant!
Wow! What a novel idea. But, I recognize that many of you may be perplexed by the notion that one person can be both a servant and a leader simultaneously. You may ask, how can I remain secure in my position as leader, if I become the servant of those that I am called to lead? Well, it is actually not that difficult a prospect, particular if we recount the life of Jesus Christ himself. Jesus said, in Matthew 20:25-28,
…You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. It is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave, just as the Son of man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.
In the words of Jesus, a true leader is a servant first. We must make every effort to see ourselves first as ones called to serve the needs of the persons we lead; caretakers of a sort. This is a far cry from the Western notion of leadership, and particularly leadership in the neo-pentecostal, apostolic, and charismatic movements, where those we lead are seen as caretakers of our needs. But if we seriously consider the role of a caretaker, he or she would typically be the one in leadership, mainly due to their access and proximity to the knowledge and resources needed for the good of the group. This caretaker is not the owner of the resources, nor the keeper of the knowledge, but simply the one entrusted to ensure that everyone prospers (given the current culture I was slow to use that word) and has access to all that is available. The caretaker is the owner’s steward. It is not our special knowledge or private stash of goods. We serve the needs of the owner, by ensuring that everyone is served. In so doing, the caretaker ensures that the owner is pleased. The caretaker is a servant leader. The question is, do we see ourselves as caretakers?
So what does this have to with relationships? Well, everything. If we are called to lead, then we are called to be in relationship with and serve other people. We must see ourselves as persons seeking the ascent of other people. We exist to see other achieve. This kind of view is demanded by our interconnectedness as Christians, and our calling as leaders. Until we can see the values, mission, vision, purpose, and goals of another person as vitally important to the fulfillment of our own, then we shall continue to fall short of fulfilling our legacy as Christian leaders.