People often try to import secular leadership principles or ideas from the business world into the church (it usually doesn’t go well). From time to time, ideas from Scripture catch the attention of those in the business world, too. Do you remember when it became really popular to talk about servant leadership in the secular world?
The phrase became popular because of a 1977 book by Robert Greenleaf called Servant Leadership, and the idea really caught fire in the 2000s and 2010s; a quick search shows that the use of that phrase in publications peaked in 2024.
The idea sounds good, and it was fine as far as it went, but it usually flopped in practice. I think the reason is that it often felt fake. It was transactional. It was a leader “serving” his underlings—or pretending to—so they would work harder or sacrifice more time or put up with terrible conditions or whatever. We all know that employees are often asked to make sacrifices, but not many executives gave up their hefty compensation packages, perks, or bonuses! At times, it was wielded as a weapon or used as a tool to manipulate people. It was the opposite of what Jesus did.
Jesus humbled Himself and took on the form of a slave and went to the cross, not so that we could bring Him any profit or burnish His portfolio, but out of love. Real servant leadership means loving like Jesus, with no hope of being repaid! Let’s serve one another in love without counting the cost.