This book was given to me by a friend and mentor who probably doesn't know i consider him a mentor. Again, this is my attempt to retain what i've read and learned. Now i'm just sharing with you.
Review Biblical Leadership by Ken Collier & Matt Williams
The world is in a daze about what it means to be a leader- power, riches, authority and control mark the philosophy. For the Christian, however, our understanding should be much different. Sell the riches, resign the authority and give up the control because God calls us to be servant-leaders. The mentality of servant leadership, as Collier and Williams point out is a mentality and philosophy completely different from that of the world’s view. If am to be a ‘great’ or ‘successful’ leader there are a few things I must understand: 1) He who wants to be first, must be servant of all, 2) God’s word must be our authority, and 3) my whole life matters.
Christ set the example of what it means to be a servant-leader. He is our example, and I am to have the mind of Christ (Philippians 2:5). We are first called to be a minister. “For the son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister…” The leader must be “servant of all” (Mark 10:42-45). Having the mind of Christ requires me to put others before myself and being obedient to God- it is completely selfless. Being a leader is not a desk job- it can often be smut work, getting in the dirt, washing dirty feet. Christ fulfilled all of these things and his disciples (and Christians throughout the generations) sought to follow him. He was a leader and I am to emulate his example.
Christ’s apostles fought so hard to be considered to best and the greatest. Two were even bold enough to ask for positions of authority, and Christ responded this way “your way of ruling will not be like the Gentiles”, meaning your ways will not be like the worlds. Why? Because God said so. His word is our final authority- it stands forever and is forever profitable.
As a leader, or rather to become a true leader, I must realize that my whole life is being watched. I do not matter- I am nothing without Christ- but the way I choose to live my life does matter. I must live for God’s glory. This means that my thinking, my actions, my relationships with people all reflect something. The hard question is ask is if it is God. Everyone is watching, it all matters. So yeah, Biblical leadership is more than just about being a go-hung, trail-blazing, head of the line, but about a lifestyle that reflects Christ and manifests itself in a self-less servant whom people follow.
Quotes:
“Just two choices on the shelf: pleasing God or pleasing self.”
“Freedom is the ability to do what God wants us to do, not the license to do whatever we choose.”