- Dr. Shane Garrison, Associate Professor of Educational Ministries

But Jesus called them to himself and said, 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. (Matt 20:25-26)

 

Lead Like Jesus - The Greatest Servant Leader of All Time

The Christian model of leadership demonstrated in the life of Jesus and taught throughout the New Testament is that of servant leadership. Servant leadership looks very different compared to many other leadership models in our society. Servant leadership stands in contrast to much of what we see in the news, in big business, what we hear about at leadership conferences, and even among top-tier church leaders. It's more than a concept or a strategy. It's a philosophical worldview with which to see the world and those you lead.

So what is servant leadership? Why is this style of leadership a core value of the School of Theology? Before we look 39uniquely at servant leadership, let's take a look at other models in our culture.

 

Other Leadership Models

The Top-Down Leadership model, also known as corporate or CEO leadership, is present throughout secular business and industry. In this model, the president a company is at the top, and all other employees fall in descending levels of authority. As each level descends, more and more leaders and employees fall into that category, such as vice presidents, directors, middle managers, supervisors, laborers, and support staff. The Top-Down leadership model is widely used and easy enough to understand, but it regularly fails to produce or encourage servant leadership.

A second model is Military Leadership, or the chain-ofcommand. The military model of leadership is applied when a general gives a command to a captain, who gives a command to a sergeant, who gives a command to a lieutenant, who gives a command to a corporal, and finally down to the private. The chain of command is never argued or disputed. The strength and power of military leadership is the lack of interruption and the efficiency of decision-making. However, the men and women at the bottom of the chain rarely claim any senior officer has ever served them.

A third model is that of Representative Leadership. This model is seen primarily in government and politics. The masses select and vote in a chosen representative, such as a senator or president, who shares their political views and convictions. The candidates rally support by making promises to the constituents. Once in office, the representative is free to lead as they deem fit. The only way to create change in leadership is to vote them out of office in the next election. The elected official can be a servant 40leader to the people they represent, but that is rarely the case.

Another model is Relational Leadership, which moves us one step closer to servant leadership. The relational model is formed when a group of individuals has a mutually beneficial and supportive relationship with one another. In this capacity, the group determines who will be the leader and who will be the followers. We see this often in a family business, where a father has chosen his son to take over when he retires. While the father still functions as the senior leader, the son is preparing for the day when he is on top. Another example of this model is seen in tribal cultures, where a tribe determines who is the leader by age, skill, or prestige. Once the leader or chief is selected, everyone obeys their wishes and commands. In both instances, the relationship is the guiding principle of leadership.

A final model to be considered is Dictatorial Leadership. In many places, a single person has the power and authority to dictate all aspects of the group. These dictators often gain power through force or fear. The people obey them because their lives are in danger. This can be seen in countries like North Korea, China, or even Iraq when Saddam Hussein was in control. The dictator is central to all decisions and leads with an iron fist. Dictatorial leaders are present in churches and ministries as well. They lead through domination and bullying. Obviously, this is not servant leadership.

Top-Down Leadership. Military Leadership. Representative Leadership. Dictatorial Leadership. Do any of these models match up with what Jesus taught Christian leaders to be? The answer is, No, they don't. While we can find strands of servant leadership in each of these models, holistically, they are unable to be considered servant leadership. 

 

Leadership in Jesus Day

So we really can't look purely at the world around us to find servant leadership. Can we look at the world around Jesus? What about leadership in Jesus day? If Jesus sets the standard of servant leadership, what kinds of models did he confront? To be honest, Jesus was confronted with the exact same models we see today.

Business leaders used the top-down, CEO model, just without the titles of president, vice president, and director. The Roman military was strictly a chain-of-command model, but instead of generals and lieutenants, they had centurions (Luke 7) and the Praetorian Guard (Phil 1:13). In Jesus day, there was not a representative democracy in politics as we have in the United States, but individuals were given leadership in a similar fashion. Consider Matthew (Matt 9:9) and Zacchaeus (Luke 19:2-8), both Jews who represented the Roman government to collect taxes from the Jewish people.

Without question, there were relational models of leadership everywhere. Fathers passed on businesses to sons who had been trained as apprentices. Joseph was a carpenter (Matt 13:55) and had established himself in Nazareth (Luke 2:51). So when Joseph passed away, Jesus took over the family business to support his mother and siblings. Peter and Andrew, James and John were brothers (Matt 10:2) who worked as fishermen in relational models of business.

Still, on a broader, larger scale, dictatorial leadership was the model mostly employed in Jesus day. The Romans were in full dominance during the life of Jesus. Caesar Tiberius sat on his throne in Rome and dispatched other Roman leaders to regulate all other provinces of his kingdom. In Judea, you have Herod Antipas, the tetrarch, in control during Jesus adult life. You remember Herod the Great, Antipas 42father, from the nativity story who killed all male boys in Bethlehem (Matt 2), trying to kill the newborn King of the Jews. Antipas was as ruthless and evil as his father.

In Jerusalem, you have the regional governor Pontius Pilate who was Roman through and through. He ordered the crucifixion of many dissidents keeping fear alive in the hearts of the Jews. The Gentile rulers lorded over their subjects with power and fear. They oppressed them. They threatened them. They imprisoned and executed those who rebelled.

This model is clearly what Jesus was describing in Matthew 20:25-28. The passage becomes the simplest and most poignant instruction about leadership the disciples would receive from our Lord. This is what he expected of them. This is what he expects from us.

Matthew 20:25-28 says, But Jesus called them to him and said, You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them.  It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.

Jesus wanted his disciples to understand that the leadership model they were to exhibit was to be nothing like what they saw exhibited in the Romans. Jesus instructed them to think very differently about leadership.

"The rulers of the Gentiles [the Romans] lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. This is not the way among you . . . (Matt 20:25-26a) He said 43they lord it over them. The term lord means to hold in subjection, to be master of, to bring under one's power, or to subdue. The same word is used by God to describe Adam's responsibility over the earth. God said in Genesis 1:28 that Adam was to subdue it and have dominion over the earth; he was to lord over it. Jesus continues by saying, It shall not be so among you. Jesus is making a stark contrast to the Romans. Christian leadership should look very different than that of the Gentiles or Romans.

Jesus then illustrates his definition of leadership with a poetic image. Those who want to be great like the Roman rulers must be a servant. And those of you who want to first must be a slave. Jesus uses extreme contrast in his word choice. Greatness from servanthood. Being first from being a slave. The disciples were learning that Jesus model of leadership was the exact opposite of what was around them. It was not top-down, dictatorial leadership. It was bottom-up, servant leadership.

Finally, Jesus puts the nail in the coffin by using his own sacrifice as the central example of servant leadership. Even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. (Matt 20:28) Jesus did not come to be commander-in-chief, a CEO, or the head honcho. Jesus came to serve. He came to give his very life for others. He came to die as a ransom (or payment) for all who would place their faith in him. Jesus led out of a heart of service. As Christian leaders, our calling is to serve others, not lord over them.

Other passages in the Gospels further explain Jesus instruction on servant leadership. In Matthew 23:10-11, Jesus tells his disciples to not be called leaders, for One is your Leader, that is Christ. But the greatest among you shall be your servant. (NAS) In Luke 22:26, we have a slightly different rendering of Jesus words as he says, Let 44the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves.

 

Jesus and Pharisaical Leadership

In all of Jesus words, it is his condemnation of the Pharisees that gives us the greatest image of servant leadership. Certainly Jesus felt contempt and displeasure for the Romans who lorded over the people. But the Pharisees were different. They were the religious leaders. They knew better than the Roman Gentiles. They had an obligation to lead the people toward God Himself. They were called to demonstrate an attitude of service and humility and yet Jesus unleashes his harshest words against them. They were doing the exact opposite of what God has intended them to do. Instead of pointing people to God as spiritual leaders, they were pushing people away from God and enslaving them to religious legalism.

Watch the progression of Jesus condemnation of the Pharisees in Matthew 23.

• But Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people's faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in. (Matt 23:13)
• Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves. (Matt 23:15)
• Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. You blind 45guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel! (Matt 23:23-24)
• Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean. (Matt 23:25-26)
• Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. (Matt 23:27-28)

 

Over and over, Jesus calls these religious leaders, hypocrites. They were fakes. They were two-faced. They pretended to love the people and lead them to God, but it was all a farce. A scam. A con job. The Pharisees lied. They cheated. They condemned others for things they did themselves. They were spiritually dead on the inside; white-washed tombs, blind guides. And yet they considered themselves spiritual leaders. In all, they portray the very thing Jesus hated the most: leadership that exalts self.

So that brings us to a transition. As students of the School of Theology who are considering or who have received a call from God to be a spiritual leader in church or para-church ministry, are you willing to be a Christ-like servant leader? Are you willing to take up the banner of Christ and heed his instruction to not be like the Gentiles who lord over the people or like the Pharisees who were hypocrites? Are you willing to be something entirely different than what the world knows and has come to expect in leadership, and therefore, be great in the kingdom of God instead? 

If so, read on. If not, then you are not ready or not truly called to Christian ministry.

 

9 Characteristics of a Christian Servant Leader

• Servant leaders seek the benefit of others before themselves.

The core conviction of the servant leader is the desire to put others above themselves no matter the outcome. They seek the good of those they lead and those they follow. A heart of service toward others permeates every action and deed. Jesus made clear that we are to become last in order to be great; that we must be a servant in order to lead. He demonstrated this by giving up his own life and dying for the great benefit of all who would believe. He took the form of a servant, giving his life as a ransom so that sin would be atoned for.

Jesus modeled this first principle every single day of his earthly ministry. He was constantly focused on others. It was about the leper, the lame, the blind, the poor, the cripple, the prostitute, the Pharisee, the Centurion and those who would hear him teach. When not in the public eye, it was about his disciples and training them for their benefit and growth.

At some level all leaders want those they lead to do well. If they do well, then the leader does well, the business does well, the church does well. But often, the leader has an intrinsic motivation of self-preservation and personal glory at their core. The servant leader wants others to do well even at their own expense. They put others first, no matter if they lose or if they win. 

• Servant leaders view people not as products to be consumed or managed, but as valued persons made in the image of God.

I once heard an educator comment on how Henry Ford, the founder of Ford Motor Co. and the inventor of the first assembly line, had significant influence on the educational system of America. In the early 20 th century, Ford pressed teachers and school administrators to seat children in rows. He wanted them to sit in an orderly fashion, in straight lines, for long periods of time. Even young children, who preferred face-to-face seating and more disorganized table arrangements, were forced to sit facing forward, in rows, with their eyes facing the chalkboard. Ford used his great wealth and influence to encourage teachers to follow his suggestion.

The educator commented that the reason Ford pressed this setup so firmly was that he was preparing a generation of future assembly line workers. From the earliest years, he wanted children comfortable working in straight lines, facing the same direction, orderly and precise in their attitude and function. In the years to come this would produce the kind of workers he needed to manufacture millions of automobiles.

Ford viewed people as products which ultimately served his purpose. He viewed them as a necessary part of his kingdom-building empire which would make him successful and rich. They were not people. They were not individuals souls created in the image of God. They are little laboratory rats being trained for his great experiment: capitalism.

The servant leader is diametrically opposed to this view of people. Servant leaders view each and every person, believer and unbeliever, man, woman and child, as a valued creation of God himself. Each bearing the image of God, equipped with gifts and talents uniquely bestowed by the 48Father, meant to be used for His greater glory. People are not products; they are image-bearers and therefore should be respected as such.

• Servant leaders recognize God is in control of all things and that we are but stewards of the leadership opportunities He has given to us.

Andy Stanley once said, "Leadership is stewardship." Steward is not a biblical word but it is very often used in church leadership. Stewardship is managing someone elses things. Much like a share-cropper manages a field owned by another. The share-cropper is given a plot of land by the owner to work. This farmer does his best to work the land and desires to bring in a healthy yield each and every year. But never does the farmer confuse the land as his own. It belongs to the owner; he is but a steward or manager of the fields portioned to him.

In the same way, servant leaders are not owners of the organization, church or business they are called to lead. They are managers. They are share-croppers. God owns everything and has given some the opportunity to manage His property. Therefore there is a sense of respect for God s ownership and humility in leadership.

If the servant leader confuses ownership with stewardship, they are walking on very thin ice. We must keep a proper understanding that God is the giver of all things and that He gives gifts and talents to those He chooses. We must understand that God is sovereign and fully responsible for any leadership responsibility we are ever given. If He 1 Andy Stanley, Leadership is Stewardship speech at the Catalyst Conference, Atlanta, GA, October 13,  2009. 49freely gives, He can freely remove when we choose to be disobedient or unfaithful. He is the owner; we are but stewards of his harvest field.

• Servant leaders minimize their personal need for recognition, fame and popularity in exchange for Christian humility, grace and sacrifice.

The words of Jesus ring true at this point as well. If you want to great in the kingdom of God, you must be a servant. Those who are least shall be first. The world of corporate business, politics and celebrity culture tells us that fame, recognition and popularity are a standard result of good leadership. Whether in a small organization or a mega-church, if you are a good leader, people will know your name, follow you on Twitter, read your books, and purchase conference tickets to hear you speak. With a little success, you can become a household name in your state or even on the national scale.

But please be cautious. Be very, very cautious of pride in Christian ministry. There is an inherent danger with allowing yourself to become big. The Bible says pride comes before a fall; a haughty spirit before destruction (Prov 16:18). In the book of James, we are told that God opposed the proud, but gives grace to the humble (Jas 4:6). Paul encourages us all to seek the attitude of Christ, who did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but instead humbled himself, even unto death, death on the cross (Phil 2:11, emphasis mine).

Christian servant leaders must keep the larger perspective of Gods redemptive plan in mind. They are but a miniscule part of something very, very large. They are barely a grain of sand in the purposes and plans of a Holy God who spoke the entire universe into being. Be grateful God has called 50you. Be thankful that you have been given a purpose and ministry in the kingdom of God. Be a faithful steward of the small tasks God has purposed for your life. But never get a big-head. Never think more of yourself than you ought. Keep a tight leash on your pride and arrogance. Trust me; you dont want to be on the other side of God s discipline for taking credit for His work. There have been many Christian leaders who started with a sense of humility and grace and before it was all over, believed themselves to be something of a god. We call this the messiah-complex and it always ends very badly.

Know that God is completely competent to do whatever He likes with or without you. He does not need you to complete His purposes. On the contrary, He graces you with an opportunity to serve Him and His kingdom. Jesus, the very Son of God, was a servant. The chosen disciples were servants. Paul, James, and Peter called themselves bond-servants of Christ (Rom 1:1, Jas 1:1 2 Pet 1:1). In other words, dont get it twisted. Keep your pride in check. Remember God is seeking those with a humble heart and a sense of service to be those He makes great in the kingdom of God.

• Servant leaders start each day with the question, How can I bless others through my work and leadership? Not, How can others elevate and praise me?

The servant leader asks different questions compared to other positional leaders. The starting question is focused on blessing others, not getting blessed. The root question begins with others in mind; not with self and personal recognition. The servant leader has a different lens with which to view the world. They choose to give, rather than 51continually receive. They chose to help, instead of being propped up.

I believe it comes down to the most basic motivation in the heart. Is the most basic motivation of the Christian servant leader to make much of Jesus or have others make much of them? I am stealing language from Dr. John Piper who has spent a great portion of his life trying to communicate that 2 God is most satisfied in us, when we are most satisfied in Him. And that our supreme purpose on this earth is to bring God the glory due His name.

But to further illustrate this enormous biblical principle, Piper has begun asking a second question which is extremely applicable to Christian leadership. His second question is, Do you feel more loved when others make much of you or do you feel more loved when you make much of Jesus? 3 I might change a word or two to put it completely in the leadership light. Do you feel most satisfied as a leader when you make much of Jesus in your ministry efforts or do you feel most satisfied as a leader when your follower makes much of you? It comes down to that beginning, most basic motivation of your heart.

Christian servant leaders answer the question with the former. They see their purpose as making much of Jesus Christ, period. He is Christ Jesus, our Lord and Savior. He is God in mans flesh. He is the sacrificial lamb who takes away the sins of those who believe. He is the victorious ruling King of kings who has resurrected the dead and taken his rightful place on the throne of Heaven. He shall return soon to bring an end to Satan and evil and to restore 2 3 John Piper, Desiring God (Eugene, OR: Multnomah Press, 1986). John Piper, Sermon presented at the 2011 Passion Conference in Atlanta, GA, January 2, 2011. 52all that sin has destroyed. In comparison to Jesus, our accomplishments are pitiful.

As leaders, our task then is to make much of Him. To return glory and praise to Jesus, the Savior of our souls. When we gather this theological perspective, our most basic motivation of leadership is to make much of Jesus and conversely, to not allow others to make much of us. We want to bless others, because we have been blessed. We want to help and encourage others, because Jesus helped us in our wicked state. We want to bring others up in leadership and in ministry, because that is what Jesus has done for us.

• Servant leaders view leadership from the bottom-up, not the top-down.

Several years ago, I was asked to lead a small Christian school. Our school included a daycare, preschool, K-5 grammar school, after-school and summer programs. I was asked to be the chief administrator of these programs which oversaw the care and education of nearly 200 children. Overnight I became the boss of 13 employees, managing $250,000 budget, and had to lead a small school board consisting of parents, educators, and invested leaders. This was my first time to lead anything.

Prior to this experience, I was on staff. I was a team member. I was one player serving under other leaders and supervisors. I had never completed an evaluation, determined who got a raise and who didnt or dealt with large sums of money (which in retrospect $250,000 is very little compared to most schools with million dollar budgets). But here I was, a green leader holding in his hands a little Christian school that could flourish or fail based on my decisions.

The minute I was affirmed by the board, I felt an extraordinary burden of leadership. I never felt that as a team member, but now it was my time to prove I was the right man for the job. I was on the top. I was the boss. No other leader in the school held as much leadership authority as I did. I was the man.

My first task was to empower my team. Even though I was their boss (which they called me from time to time), I had to prove to them I was first and foremost their advocate. We moved our board meetings from a conference room to individual s homes. My house was first on the schedule. I took work off the teachers backs. When they needed a substitute, I would fill in. Not because this meant we didn t have to pay a sub, but I wanted them to see that I was willing to do whatever necessary to support them and their work.

In those first months of leadership, I had to make many very difficult decisions. Some of which were terrible mistakes I still regret to this day. But I had to establish a culture of servant leadership. I had to show my co-laborers that while I was their leader, I was there to serve them first. I wanted to build their trust in me as a partner in ministry. At the same time, I wanted to inspire them to be servant leaders themselves. We had to create a culture of selflessness where other s wants were more important than our own.

I only served as the chief administrator for one year. Campbellsville University offered me a position to teach on the faculty (a long-held dream of mine) and I chose to leave the school much earlier than I had ever thought. But I still keep in contact with the teachers and leaders. And they often remark how that year really changed the direction of the school. It was a year where service to others was primary and personal agendas were set aside for the sake of the school. Now, I dont share that story to brag. That would be going against principle no. 4. I only share the story to illustrate that an attitude of Christian servant leadership must come from the very onset of leadership.

Many have prescribed that leaders must show their strengths and power in those first few months. Leadership gurus suggest that an incoming leader must show his or her leadership muscle early to establish proper channels of authority and respect. They state that weakness or humility in the early days can mean conflict and chaos in the months to come. They state that a top-down model of leadership is essential and must be established from the very first day.

Let's remember what Jesus said, It shall not be so among you. You will not be like the rest of the world. Christian servant leaders must be different. They must be completely opposite of what the world deems appropriate. Otherwise they are buying into the trap of corporate and military leadership models that keep a strict top-down model and never adapt a culture of servant leadership. Remember, we are called to flip the pyramid on its head. Flip it up-side down with the leader on the bottom serving larger and larger numbers up the organizational chart. This is the model of Jesus.

One final word about top-down leadership and bottomup leadership. I recognize someone has to make the final decision. I completely understand that someone has to be the CEO of the company. Someone has to the senior pastor of the church. Someone has to have the final say no matter how small or large the organization. I get it. I am fully aware of how the real world works. I am not trying to say that you as a Christian servant leader should never be the top-tier leader. I am only encouraging you to have a mentality and attitude of bottom-up instead of top-down. It will serve you 55well in ministry, in your family, and in your relationships with others.

• Servant leaders achievement is measured by the heights and successes of others, not their own.

We need to talk about success for a moment. Success and achievement are part of every leaders life. Leaders are winners who enjoy setting goals and meeting them. Leaders are not afraid of failing, but even in failure they are looking for ways to improve so that they can succeed later on.

The measure of success can be greatly varied. For some in Christian ministry, success can be measured by number of new converts, baptisms, church attendance, budget giving, churches planted, small groups started, leaders trained, non-profits created, or books published. Even those who focus entirely on extending God s glory in the world have in the back of their mind a goal to attain. They have a picture of what success looks like to them and how they will attempt to reach such aims. But here is the catch for the Christian servant leader. Success is not measured by personal achievement; it is measured by the success of others.

Even Jesus measured his own success by the success of his disciples. He chose, trained and commissioned them to spread the Gospel to the ends of the earth, preaching the good News, baptizing new believers, and teaching them to obey all the commands of Christ (Acts 1:8, Matthew 28:19-20). But consider for a moment if the disciples had failed to do what Jesus challenged them to do. What if all eleven remaining disciples quit on the spot the day as Jesus ascended to heaven? What if they walked away and never did anything Jesus great commission spurred them to do?

Who would be to blame? Would the disciples be liable for their decision? Certainly they would have some guilt. But wouldnt we judge the leader as more responsible than the followers?

In this hypothetical situation, I believe we would hold Jesus accountable for the failure of the disciples. In the same way, the success of the Christian servant leader is based more in the achievements of others. If there is any pride and honor to be had in servant leadership, it s when those you lead excel. When they knock it out of the park and truly demonstrate their skill and abilities, then you as the leader shine. You selected them for a task and they achieved it. That is leadership. That is where your success truly lies.

• Servant leaders are those who take out the garbage or clean a toilet and no one is surprised.

Okay, we are coming down the home stretch. Only two more principles, but these are so important to the whole concept of servant leadership. Let me ask you a question. Have you ever seen your pastor taking out the garbage after a church dinner? Or have you seen your youth pastor cleaning up the toilets in the church bathroom? Now, I am not talking about when you were on a mission trip or after some special event, but during the normal routine and pace of a week. Have you seen key leaders doing the most menial of tasks?

My pastoral mentor, Rev. Robert Franklin, pastor of Main Street Baptist Church in Alexandria, KY, modeled this so well for me. It was not unusual to see him taking out the church trash or cleaning the van, or after a fellowship meal, washing dishes in the kitchen. He always had way more important things to attend to. I mean, he was the senior 57pastor of an active, fairly large church. But that never stopped him. I would catch him vacuuming up the children's area after Sunday services. He had just preached two messages and counseled many who came to the altar for prayer. He needed to go home and rest. But if there was a task to be completed, no matter how small or trivial, you could catch him being a servant enough to do it.

I have also seen the current president of Campbellsville University, Dr. Michael Carter, demonstrate this principle. I have seen him walking across campus and bend down to pick up a piece of trash. I've caught him out watering the lawn and trimming the hedges of the presidential home. Our university has maintenance personnel. He could have easily called in an order to clean up the trash or take care of the lawn, but he has an attitude of servant leadership. When followers see this kind of leader in action, they are compelled to do the same.

The outcome of leading in this fashion is that your followers want to serve more themselves. When they see that you are willing to do whatever the ministry or organization needs, they are encouraged to do the same. It gives them encouragement that everyone is in this fight together. And nobody is above the menial tasks.

• Servant leaders lives are dedicated to taking up the towel and basin and washing others feet in the name of Christ.

We have come to the final principle. Last, but most certainly not least. You know the scene. Upper room. Last supper. Twelve disciples, one Jesus. The initiation of the Lord's Supper. The preparation for the coming days' events. The prediction that one of the disciples will betray him. We have all seen Easter pageants and Jesus films depicting this 58historic scene. But before it all began, Jesus demonstrated one of the most powerful examples of servant leadership in all of the New Testament. In John 15, Jesus washes his disciples' feet.

He removes his outer clothing, wraps a towel about his waist, and takes the time to personally wash each and every foot in that room. That's 120 toes, 24 arches, 24 heels, and 24 ankles. This includes washing the feet of Judas Iscariot, the betrayer himself. Taking the role of the house servant or indentured slave, Jesus exemplifies servant leadership on the night before he died on the cross. He took up the towel and the basin. Are you willing to dedicate your life to this? Are you willing to take up the towel and wash others' feet? Are you willing to humble yourself and put others first, taking on the role of a servant to lift others up? It is not a glorious calling. It is not a prestigious place or position. It's on the floor, kneeling before those you lead, doing the unthinkable, getting your hands dirty in the hearts and lives of those God has called you to lead.

If you're up for the task, God s has a place for you in leadership. Hes looking for hearts and souls that are willing to model the servant leadership model of His Son for His glory and fame. I challenge you to consider how you might lead in the future. I challenge you to consider servant leadership above all other models. I challenge you to imitate Jesus, the greatest servant leader to ever walk the face of the earth.

Dr. Shane Garrison is Associate Professor of Educational Ministries and has served at Campbellsville University since 2008.