I speak of Tim Fall’s post, The Ungodly Doctrine of Servant Leadership.
Teh intertoobz is full of linear thinkers, black and white extremes, you’re with us or you’re against us. The nature of the venue lends itself well to clicking “like” or “dislike” as if everything in life is now cut and dry. Combine that with the modern tendency we all have to declare the truth to be how I like it to be, and it can be much like a carnival ride of “truth” without seat belts or like being trapped in a fun house hall of mirrors.
Ironically there is unity here among the two extremes, as in both sides are united in their objection to the whole concept of servant leadership, one side rejecting it because it demonstrates too much leadership, the other side complaining about too much servanthood. Dalrock for example, constantly criticizes the whole notion on account of the fact that servanthood is allegedly oppressive and demeaning to men, therefore ungodly. (Dalrock is kind of like the flip side of feminism, feminism with the genders reversed. He just edits out all the other parts of the bible that offend his side of the story.)
Tim Fall, who could not be farther from Dalrock if he tried, declares it ungodly because too much leadership, so allegedly what Jesus taught was really just servant-servitude.
Ai yi yi.
This is an impertinent thing to say, most impolite, but has anyone ever considered that the problem does not lie in the text, but rather in their own perceptions and understanding? That what both extremes have now labeled “ungodly” isn’t ungodly at all? That what actually unites both extremes is a very negative perception of authority in general? That what causes them to reject the whole notion outright used to be called “conviction” not offense, as in you just take it to the Lord and ask Him to take you just a bit deeper? Ask yourself why you hate the leadership part or the servant part and what that all means?
It grieves me to see Christians label things ungodly, especially things from the bible, important things that are kind of critical to our understanding of grace itself. Jesus washed His disciples feet, kind of the very epitome of servant leadership. There was some objection back than too, but as He put it so clearly, “if I wash you not, you have no part with me.”
People serve as leaders. Leadership is a service. You need someone’s help, wisdom, authority, the good ones will ask, “how can I serve you today?” But with service also comes responsibility, accountability, leadership. “No one is in charge here because we’re all just servants,” is a recipe for complete disaster. It’s also kind of scary. If you serve nothing, you’ll soon serve everything.
All in good humor here, but that’s my line, don’t ask me, I just work here. I’m just a servant. Wage slave actually. Nothing is my problem. They don’t pay me enough to care. Whatever. Sure, if you say so.
Mark 9:35 “Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.”
Amen! Fabulous words. But let us not forget the part about going first! You are going to a have to go first at some point, too.
In my neck of the woods we have a joke, the men often go first on trails. It has nothing to do with who gets to be the boss and far more to do with sticker bushes, spiderwebs, mud, and hidden dog poo land mines. It is service, they are going first and clearing the path of all hazards. It is a kindness. Yes, it is a kind of leadership too, but really just a service, as in there is nothing particularly glamorous about clearing a path.
Let’s slip over to Matthew 20:25-28, “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, and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave; just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
I really do believe that the idea of servant leadership is to be found throughout the bible, that rather than ungodly, it is kind of the very epitome of who Jesus Christ is. He is both the Lion and the Lamb, He leads and He serves. He laid down His life for us and He rose victorious. He is both that sweet babe in a manger and the King of Kings seated in victory.
Servant leadership is more like a math equation one must solve. As an equation it makes absolutely no sense to just pluck out the numbers you don’t like, as if that is going to provide you the solution you seek. These perceived “errors” are not in the equation itself, nor in the math, they reside in in our own understanding or our own misunderstanding.
See, there's this thing called biology... 
Clearly, neither Fall nor Dalrock have ever led anything for which they didn’t arrange total ironfisted control freak, control.
Leadership is fluid like all human endeavors.
The leader needs to understand the people he is working with.
In some cases servile leadership would lead to complete chaos because the group needs a visible, strong, steady hand.
In other cases servile leadership brings out the absolute best in people because they feel the nearly invisible but steady, strong hand of support.
Silence of Mind has witnessed this during his time under the sun.
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Well said, Silence. That’s just perfect, actually.
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“Clearly, neither Fall nor Dalrock have ever led anything for which they didn’t arrange total ironfisted control freak, control.”
I don’t know about Dalrock, but you totally have me pegged!
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Well, Dalrock is pretty much the opposite of you. He is kind of the very epitome of why people might decide to reject the entire notion of authority, and scratch servant leadership entirely. He’s pretty awful.
I mentioned him because he too believes servant leadership is ungodly.
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Hee hee! That’s a great one.
😀
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That was really well put and perceptive SoM. Leadership is extremely fluid and not a cookie cutter endeavor. In my case, it’s really more of the first way. My guys tend to be headstrong and independent, which is actually what we want and need for our work. But, because they are unsupervised most of the time, they have to understand the eye is always watching and the hand is always ready so to speak. Of course, sometimes they need simple support. It’s complicated and takes sharp perception.
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Very good post IB. That some Christians are against servanthood is mind boggling to me, as the entire Bible seems to be based on it. I understand, I guess, the perspective that leadership can sometimes morph in to idol worship or abuse, but that is due to the sinful nature of man, not the concept of servant leadership.
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Love your example of men going first through the woods as servant/leadership. Very good.
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I think you missed the point of my post, Gabrielle. Serving through leadership is great. Some people misuse the phrase “servant leadership” to elevate leaders above other servants, and that’s what I was trying to caution against.
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I realize that authority can be abused. But we cannot just pretend that leadership now involves no authority! The very definition of a leader is, “a person who has commanding authority or influence.” A servant with no authority is not a leader, they’re either a scapegoat or they are confused and likely abusive. If you have no authority, no influence, than you are not leading. So servant-leadership actually teaches people how to be good leaders and good followers.
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If used that way, you are absolutely right. My concern is with the situations where it’s abused such as in elevating leadership over 9ther servant ministries. If in a healthy context, though, then my concerns evaporate, of course.
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Okay, but you went and dismissed the entire concept as ungodly! Isn’t it possible that the problem is not with God or with the concept itself, but with us?
The portrayal of servant leadership was actually given to us as an alternative to the worldly system which is simply “might makes right.” So when we dismantle or throw away the whole concept, might makes right is all that reigns in the people world.
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I wonder why we don’t say “servant nursery worker” or “servant van driver” or “servant choir member.” A proper doctrine of servanthood makes the modifier superfluous, even with leaders. If a church feels the need to use it with leaders because of a fear of tyranny oyherwise, I suspect there are more problems going much deepet.
So yes, I do advocate for leadership exercised in a manner where the modifier “servant” is no more needed then it is with other ministries. All are just servants.
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Well Tim, I think that kind of captures the nature of the whole problem. A nursery worker is actually a nursery leader, a van driver is actually leading the van. Yes, there is service involved in those roles, but we really want the van driver to take authority and responsibility. He is in charge of the van, He is leading the van and whoever is in it. In your version of servant servitude, he will have no accountability, no responsibility, will answer to no one, and really the van can just roll down the street wherever it wants to go.
I’m not riding with that guy.
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Not what I am proposing at all.
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@Tim
Well, you took the criticism well. IB’s words can be quite biting.
I think we usually go off the track because we overlook the basics. Consider what it means to “go off the track”. Without tracks, that train is not going anywhere.
Look at the construction of the phrase, “servant leadership”. Servant modifies leadership. Remember that passage you quoted (Mark 9:33-35). If one is to be first (not wants to be first), then one must be the servant of all. As Jesus put it, Godly leadership is the consequence of being the greatest servant. Good followers give the greatest servants authority over them in recognition of their great service. Evil, ill-served followers — slaves — give the powerful authority over them because the powerful already have it.
God give us a choice. If we love God, it is because He loved us first. He showed us — and shows us — how to love. He gives each other and all Creation to love. He gives of Himself — gave of Himself — for our sake. And so as David did (Psalm 23), we call Him our Shepherd, or Thomas did (John 20:28), we each call Him My Lord and my God.
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Excellent points, Tom, very well stated.
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I see what you’re saying, Tim, but the problem is, in our culture many people see “leader” or “authority” and think things like dictator, tyrant, autocrat. So we use the qualifier to separate the right kind of leadership from that which is abusive and wrong. You can try to remake the image of the word leadership if you want, but that’s an uphill battle because our whole culture is opposing authority right now.
Becky
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I have heard the Gospels described based upon the point-of-view of the writers.
Mathew: Jesus as the King.
Mark: Jesus as the Servant.
Luke: Jesus as the Savior.
John: Jesus as God.
Obviously, when Matthew describes Jesus as the King, he tells us Jesus is in charge.
When Mark describes Jesus as a Servant, he describes a man of action, a servant with initiative. Jesus gives everything He has in service to His Father and in grace and mercy to us.
Jesus as Savior? Luke depicts how salvation is the ultimate service: love, grace, and mercy in abundance. Nevertheless, the Savior is also a leader. To accept the gift of salvation, we must follow the example of our Savior.
John completely awes us. In his book we are made aware Creation is of Jesus, that without Him we cease to exist. Each moment is because He wills it so.We come into existence and exist because He wills it so. Apart from God what He has made cannot be. Thus, by giving it existence God is a servant of His Creation. Yet whether we know it or not, we — and all He made — obey God’s laws. We have have free will, but we still execute His plan. Thus, as the Creator God “leads” what He has made.
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I’m totally with you on this. It gets annoying, which is I generally don’t read it. Like too many “Internet Christians,” it really comes down to an issue with authority. Maybe the only example they’ve ever seen is abusive, but it doesn’t change the fact that the Kingdom of God has a government, with leaders who humbly lead. To have a leaderless church mob doing “whatever’s right in their own eyes” is totally foreign to the New Testament. You pretty much have to throw out half of it (and most of Paul’s writings) if you want to get rid of leadership. And leaders serve. It’s that simple.
Contrary to the alternative reality of the Intertoobz, we don’t have any authority unless we’re under authority. And having lots of followers on your social media doesn’t make you a leader. 🙂
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Well said, Mel.
“He who is under authority, has authority.” As it says in Proverbs 25:28, “He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls.” It seems to me as if abuse really stems from powerlessness, from a lack of authority, from having no ability to rule over your own self, let alone lead anyone else.
So,come under His authority, be healed, be washed, and let’s get this ball rolling. Needless to say, I am generally quite impatient about this 🙂
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The verse you quoted brought to mind what the centurion said to Jesus (Matt. 8:5-13) when he came to Him asking that he heal his servant—something like, I’m also a man of authority; I go where I’m told to go and my men do what I tell them to do. He said this because he was asking Jesus to heal his servant. He was using his authority to serve the server and he was asking Jesus to do the same, not because Jesus had no authority, but because He did. It’s such a strong example of understanding the dichotomy between serving and being in authority.
Becky
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Excellent point, Becky. The centurion is a great example.
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Without positive leadership, humans descend into chaos and anarchy. The idea that nobody should lead is to absurd too even argue about, lest somebody think there is actually a case to be made for it.
But, again, a song came to mind
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Wow! That’s an old song,Wally. Very appropriate. 🙂
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It’s a slow train comin’!
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Ha..yes indeed.
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Someone who leads others in the way Father Yahweh, not individuals and their think tanks allege, are presumed (small “s”) servants.
It is pernicious folly to even be making a big deal out the concept of “servant leadership”.
We serve Yahweh, and under His authority we love and lead His people PROPERLY via righteous deployment of the Word of Truth and the unction of the Holy Spirit.
If servant leadership has any folly or fallacy it is merely due to its incessant use.
If we need people to explain to us what Father Yahweh expects leaders to do, then we are still on milk. The rest of it is DEMONSTRATED already in Scripture.
The problem is that people want to tell folks how they need to be leading instead of just following, and folks needing to remind others who is in charge.
If everybody stayed in there lane, then goofy discussions and doubtful disputations would be damn near non existent.
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👍👍👍
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Brought a smile with it.
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Hello; for reasons unknown, I currently have few “hits” in my stats. I never wished to make a name for myself on the w.w.w,
My latest post is for all, but to Christians in particular; therefore I’m requesting that you please repost this on your page which has a substantial audience. I made this request of two other Christian blogs, because we can’t -as Christendom has done- sweep this under the rug. I appreciate your assistance. “X”
https://partneringwitheagles.wordpress.com/2017/06/11/post-modern-christianity-a-house-divided/
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As a point of fact, the term “servant leader” did not originate from the Bible, the church, nor a theologian. The first recorded use of the term was in a 1970 secular business essay called “The Leader as Servant” by Robert K. Greenleaf. One would think that if it was such a solidly Biblical concept, it would have been used in the church for centuries. But that’s not the case.
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Well actually, the idea did not originate with Robert K. Greenleaf. Even he clearly states that.
“In 1976, Paulist Press published Servant Leadership, a book that combined these and other essays. “Greenleaf always claimed that although he was informed by the Judeo-Christian ethic (he became a Quaker in mid-life), servant leadership was for people of all faiths and all institutions, secular and religious.”
https://www.greenleaf.org/robert-k-greenleaf-biography/
It really has been used by the church for centuries and it’s outlined in the bible.
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Excellent! Thank you for the correction!
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To me servanthood is just the thing a man needs to work against his pride.
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So real, so true. No one can state it better than you, so I repeat in agreement: “These perceived ‘errors’ are not in the equation itself, nor in the math, they reside in in our own understanding or our own misunderstanding.”
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