What does it mean to be a servant leader?

John 13:4-5, 14-15So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him. . . . “And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you.”

Philippians 2:5-9You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names,

Jesus revolutionizes our understanding of leadership by teaching “downward mobility.” In a most striking picture of servanthood, Jesus humbles himself through practical obedience. By performing the task of a slave, Jesus models how far we are to go in serving one another.

Matthew 20:32When Jesus heard them, he stopped and called, “What do you want me to do for you?”

Servant leaders listen and respond to the needs of those around them.

Matthew 20:27-28“Whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Mark 10:43-44“But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else.”

Luke 22:24-26Then they [the disciples] began to argue among themselves about who would be the greatest among them. Jesus told them, “In this world the kings and great men lord it over their people, yet they are called ‘friends of the people.’ But among you it will be different. Those who are the greatest among you should take the lowest rank, and the leader should be like a servant.”

We must learn to follow before we can learn to lead. A self-serving leader is not a true leader.