It All Starts with Service

Disciple-making Leadership launches from a humble, service-oriented heart.

Very slowly, I will be working through a 2003 booklet called The Servant Leader by Ken Blanchard and Phil Hodges. It was collecting dust on the shelf of a local, used bookstore. Since it was in like new condition, I decided to pick it up. Flipping through the introduction, I noticed a challenge they issued - keep a journal of key learnings. Well, this blog series will attempt to do just that and, maybe, you will find it beneficial too.

After the holidays, I finally picked it back up and the very first page just grabbed my attention:

“He who is the GREATEST among you shall be your SERVANT. And whoever exalts himself will be HUMBLED, and he who HUMBLES himself will be exalted.” - Matthew 23:11-12 (NKJV)

Right there, on one page, is the starting point for Disciple-making leadership - the heart of a humble servant. There is not other way. Upon entering a discipleship relationship, you are doing so (1) to think more of others as you honor their value, (2) to serve others by helping them grow closer to Christ, and (3) to model the way that Christ lived His life.

That last one is of critical importance because, as Blanchard and Hodges puts it, Jesus is the most “practical and effective leadership model” we have (p. 10). Why is that? Because He humbled himself to step down from heave and become a mere mortal. He chose to serve us by living, loving, and leading unlike any other person. He worked to disciple us through His teachings. He gave us victory over sin and death through the Cross and Resurrection. In short, if you want to be a disciple-making leader, then go to Jesus.