
It’s hard to ignore our national obsession with the topic of leadership. Turn on the television or open a newspaper and the merits of elected officials are argued, corporate executives are indicted, or another book on effective leadership principles is climbing the national bestseller list.
Even in the church countless hours are dedicated to studying the topic and determining how Christians can be different (and better) at leading than our secular contemporaries.
At Amor Ministries we’re not above talking about the qualities of good leadership. In fact, we think it’s a worthy discussion. But frankly, our passion doesn’t rest in words, it relies on actions. With Jesus as our role model, we know that in order to lead we must first serve. And so we gather our tools and build. Of course, there is a whole lot more to Amor’s philosophy than just building houses, but at the heart of everything we do there is a desire to serve first.
We believe so deeply in the concept of servant leadership that over the years we’ve entreated more than 100,000 people to pick up their hammers and join us. With that experience in mind, here are a few things about servant leadership that I’ve learned along the way.
It’s about Relationships.
Becoming a servant leader is a call to relationship. A Greek word used often used throughout Corinthians embodies what true leadership is- ‘parakaleo’. It means to “come along side”. When we think of a leader, we often think of the one who runs to the top of the mountain and calls to the people below to come up with him, but the leadership that Jesus exemplified was that of the one who went down the mountain and walked alongside another all the way to the top.
At Amor, relationships are at the heart of what we do. Our mission isn’t to simply build houses, it’s about building lasting relationships and sharing God’s love.
It’s about humility.
It may be hard to believe, but there was a time in my life that I believed that God was lucky to have me on his team. But over time, and through a series of events, I learned that God doesn’t NEED me on his team. I simply am privileged to be on HIS team. Once I realized this, it became so much easier to lead as a servant because my life became a reflection of my devotion and gratitude for his grace. This is where servant leadership begins – the point where we realize that God is reason we live and everything we have should be used for his glory.
I’ve had other leaders tell me that they appreciate Amor’s spirit of humility – that if they’ve learned one thing from us, it is that we don’t know it all, but that we are continually trying to learn and get better. That’s all that we can do. The moment we think we know it all, is the moment we fall and realize we have a lot more to learn. I praise God that we have humble men and women who serve alongside us unselfishly in this ministry. They are our true servant leaders.
It’s about discipline
How do we serve each other and lead? It is a discipline. There will always be a temptation to think more highly of our self than we should. A servant leader understands that they lead only because God has opened the door of opportunity for them. Amor believes that a true leader practices the discipline of compassion and continually puts others needs ahead of his/her desire to succeed. True leaders worry more about treating subordinates, co-workers, and others with respect and grace, than how they as individual are perceived.
So I challenge you to ask yourself a few important questions. Where do you find your value? In your work? In your status? Our self worth should be tied up in who God made us. He gave us our gifts and talents and uniqueness to share with the world. Make a discipline of serving others and in that, you will truly learn to lead.
It’s about empathy.
Although the concept of Servant Leadership goes back centuries, the terminology “Servant Leadership” was coined by Robert K. Greenleaf (a former AT&T executive) in The Servant as Leader, an essay that he first published in 1970. In that essay he describes the differences between someone who chooses to serve first versus some who chooses to lead first:
The difference manifests itself in the care taken by the servant-first to make sure that other people’s highest priority needs are being served. The best test, and difficult to administer, is: Do those served grow as persons? Do they, while being served, become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to become servants? And, what is the effect on the least privileged in society? Will they benefit or at least not be further deprived?
At Amor, we couldn’t agree more with that definition. A servant leader is one that wants to effect change for ALL people. Those that they work with, live with, and have community with, as well as, the poor and less fortunate in society. We also believe that in serving the poor, valuable lessons about leading are revealed in a way that can’t be taught in a classroom or by reading a book.
So where are you serving and showing compassion today? If you can’t answer quickly, you need to pick up the phone and call us. We’ll be happy to sign you up for an Amor mission trip and help you begin your journey as servant leader today.
That’s why our mission trips are designed to help people of all ages learn important lessons about leadership and life. We are confident that once you participate in an Amor mission trip, you’ll be changed forever and you’ll be on a path to becoming a true servant leader.
By Gayla Congdon, Founder and CSO of Amor Ministries- originally published in the Fall 2008 Matters of the Heart newsletter.