The secret to building servant-leader strength in others
I’ll come right out and give the secret to you: Build yourself up in the Lord first, and let your relationship with him flow out to others.
But how do we as leaders keep from becoming spiritually stagnant when we have so many daily responsibilities and concerns? Conflict abounds, financial concerns never leave, people issues come and go.
One way I’ve tried to grow over the years is by reading leadership books and going to conferences. But sometimes I feel like I read and study too much. The danger is that my increasing knowledge just puffs me up and doesn’t benefit anyone else.
By far the best leadership development comes when we walk with the Holy Spirit, read the Word, and lean into the experiences he brings our way.
If we only want to lead for the money, power, ego or “legacy,” we are only serving ourselves and are in danger of being called least in the kingdom.
Good leadership rarely emerges without a foundation of experience. But it never emerges – especially in the church – if the Holy Spirit isn’t leading the leader.
As Paul says in Colossians 2:8, we must resist “human tradition and the basic principles of this world” and depend on Christ.
When we depend on him, we know we’re on the right path, and our followers will thank us for it.
 | Tom Harper is publisher of BiblicalLeadership.com and executive chairman of Networld Media Group, a business-to-business publisher and event producer. He has written five books, including Servant Leader Strong: Uniting Biblical Wisdom and High-Performance Leadership (DeepWater Books, 2019) as well as the Christian business fable Through Colored Glasses and its sequel Inner Threat (DeepWater, 2022). Learn More » |
More on Servant Leadership
- Are you an adaptable leader? (by Miranda Carls)
- When wisdom begins with ‘I don’t know’ (by David Bowman)
- The secret weapon a pastor needs for church growth (by Mark MacDonald)
- Read the room to lead the room (by Jenni Catron)
