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In drawing a parallel between consensus-based leadership and Servant Leadership,
there is no evangelical Christian ‘hidden agenda’. These two models of
leadership do, however, have much in common. Whenever a working group is
chartered to function as a consensus-driven entity, an effective ‘Facilitator’
of such a group will very literally lead by serving.
During the flurry of rapid growth of the fledgling Christian church in the first
century following the crucifixion of Jesus, the concept of reverent servanthood
quickly spread beyond the Apostles and their closest associates. The term
‘servant’ soon began to be more widely used, with a meaning that is remarkably
close to our present-day conception of a Servant Leader. Serving Christ and
serving others in the early Christian community became such a basic doctrine,
that identifying oneself as a ‘servant’ was an honorable
distinction…establishing a linkage between an individual and the work of the
early church. Identifying oneself as a ‘servant’ to other Christians was much
like producing a ‘Certificate of Christian Authenticity’.
Functionally speaking, the role of a Facilitator of a modern-day work group is
not at all unlike that of a Servant Leader. Both the Facilitator and the Servant
Leader serve the collective interests of his or her respective constituents by:
modeling appropriate behavior, providing encouragement, and helping the group to
work its way past obstacles…all with the intention of achieving some outcome
that will have value recognized by every member of the group.
The concept of Servant Leadership as a basic tenet of the Christian faith is
rooted in the sentiment expressed so well in this passage of Scripture
attributed to Jesus following the startling foot-washing ritual that He
performed before The Last Supper with His disciples:
John 13:13-17
13 “You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right because that is what I
am. 14 So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you must also
wash one another's feet. 15 For I have given you an example, so that you may
do as I have done to you. 16 Truly, truly I say to you, a servant is not
greater than his master, and a messenger is not greater than the one who
sent him. 17 If you understand these things, how blessed you are if you put
them into practice!”
This directive from Jesus did not fall on deaf ears. In fact, the Apostles
were not the only ones to put the notion of Servant Leadership into immediate
practice. They were joined by a growing cadre of converts within the new
Christian community. Here are some Scriptural references to just a few of
those lesser-known servants who took up the cross as leaders in the early
church. We might look upon them as being the earliest ‘intentional’ Servant
Leaders…or Facilitators. To label these individuals ‘intentional’ Servant
Leaders, recognizes that they did not fall into their roles as a natural
consequence of having been a part of Jesus’ original entourage, as was the case
for the Apostles. Instead, this second wave of Servant Leaders had to take the
initiative to voluntarily choose to associate themselves with the Christian
movement in their high-profile roles. They became Facilitators, by choice:
Romans 16:1-2
1 I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church
in Cenchrea. 2 I ask you to receive her in the Lord in a way worthy of the
saints and to give her any help she may need from you, for she has been a
great help to many people, including me. 1 Corinthians 4:1-2
1 So then, men ought to regard us (referring to Paul, Apollos,
and Cephas) as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with
the secret things of God. 2 Now, it is required that those who have been
given a trust must prove faithful. Philippians 1:1
1 Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus… Colossians
4:12
12 Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus,
sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may
stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured.
James 1:1
1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the
twelve tribes scattered among the nations: Greetings.
Jude 1:1
1 Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James, To
those who have been called, who are loved by God the Father and kept by
Jesus Christ:
If you are a philosophy buff, you may be aware that the consensus-based model
of group interaction shares some genetic material with the Eastern philosophical
construct of ‘intimacy’. According to the construct of intimacy, every part of
the whole…in this case, every member of the group…is interdependent. The
needs, interests, motivations, talents, gifts, and energies of all members of
the group are so intimately commingled that the group is able to accept (within
some fairly broad boundaries) that what is good for one…is good for all…and vice
versa. Every member of the group…every ‘Stakeholder’…has a stake in bearing the
responsibilities incumbent upon the group, and has a corresponding stake in the
benefits that accrue to discharging those responsibilities. This state of
intimacy is very much in accord with the analogy that the Apostle Paul used to
describe the early Christian church:
1 Corinthians 12:12-27:
12 For just as the body is one and yet has many parts, and all the parts of
the body, though many, form one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For by one
Spirit all of us-Jews and Greeks, slaves and free-were baptized into one
body and were all privileged to drink from one Spirit. 14 For the body does
not consist of only one part, but of many. 15 If the foot says, "Since I'm
not a hand, I'm not part of the body," that does not make it any less a part
of the body, does it? 16 And if the ear says, "Since I'm not an eye, I'm not
part of the body," that does not make it any less a part of the body, does
it? 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be?
If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But at
this very time God has arranged the parts, every one of them, in the body
just as he wanted to. 19 Now if they were all one part, where would the body
be? 20 So there are many parts, but one body. 21 The eye cannot say to the
hand, "I don't need you," or the head to the feet, "I don't need you." 22 On
the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are in fact
indispensable, 23 and the parts of the body that we think are less honorable
are treated with special honor, and we make our less attractive parts more
attractive. 24 However, our attractive parts don't need this. But God has
put the body together and has given special honor to the parts that lack it,
25 so that there might be no disharmony in the body, but that its parts
should have the same concern for each other. 26 If one part suffers, every
part suffers with it. If one part is praised, every part rejoices with it.
27 Now you are Christ's body and individual parts of it.
The Book of Acts gives us the first evidence that the Christian
experience…including Servant Leadership…had so much obvious virtue and so much
tangible appeal that it had the capacity to be self-sustaining.
Acts 2:42-43, 47
42 They devoted themselves to the Apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship,
to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe, and
many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the Apostles….47 …And the
Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
In the parlance of atomic physics, the Book of Acts is where we see
Christianity and Servant Leadership reaching ‘critical mass’…a spiritual and
social ‘reaction’ capable of sustaining itself. History has proven the
durability of this development. The Christian church is still vibrant and
self-sustaining today. The model of Servant Leadership…essentially a
consensus-based, intimacy-driven leadership style…has already stood the test of
time.
The appeal of the early Christian church to non-believers was, in large part,
a result of the unheard-of extent of ‘community’ (intimacy) that existed amongst
Christian believers. Christians became known for their demonstrated willingness
to cast off their preoccupation with personal well being in the interest of
caring for one another. Fueled by Jesus’ Great Commission and sustained by
the presence of the Holy Spirit, the only additional ingredient needed to ignite
the Christian firestorm was…courageous, committed, and
capable leadership.
Don’t miss the parallel with today’s workplace! Servant Leadership is just as
virtuous and just as capable of being self-sustaining today as it was in the
first few decades of the Christian church. This sense of community…caring for,
attending to the needs of, and serving others…is not only the earmark of the
Christian believer, but also a foundational trait of the Servant Leader…and of
the Facilitator/Leader of consensus-based, collaborative working groups.
A secular Facilitator/Leader who has embraced the virtue of the Servant
Leader model might see himself or herself in this Scriptural passage:
Philippians 2:1-4
1 If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any
comfort from His love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness
and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the
same love, being one in spirit and purpose. 3 Do nothing out of selfish
ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than
yourselves. 4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but
also to the interests of others.
What is required to advance the cause of Servant Leadership and
consensus-building in today’s workplaces is still…just as was the case
2000 years ago…courageous, committed, and capable leadership.
If you would like to read more about the revitalization of Servant Leadership in
the workplace visit the Servant Leader at
Work! page at this web site. If you would be interested in hosting a guest
speaking engagement addressing the topic of Servant Leadership in the workplace,
please click Contact CCG to
inquire. |
