Us Christians have a weird outlook on business management. It makes perfect sense except for one thing: Leadership is not sought after… or supposed to be.
Except… right from the beginning, the Apostles ran into problems.
What would you do if you had 24 hours to live? What would you do with your last day on earth? I would probably try to spend it with my family, try to enjoy every last moment. Jesus took his last 24 hours and served. He washed the feet of the disciples.
Randy Pausch learned he had six months to live and decided to spend it teaching (and he very quickly became a master at the subject: Time Management )
Every day we are bombarded with self help books teaching us to cut the dead weight, get rid of the toxic personalities in your teams and climb the corporate ladder… but the example Jesus taught was to hold the ladder so that another can climb.
In 1 Peter 5, the Apostle speaks to the elders as a fellow elder, and says “our job as elders, are to serve. To have compassion with those that struggle, and tenderly help them to their feet. Not pull them up as their leaders, but pick them up as their servants”
I urge my fellow elders among you to be
compassionate shepherds
who tenderly care for God’s flock and
who feed them well,
for you have the responsibility to
guide, protect, and oversee.
Consider it a joyous pleasure and not merely a religious duty.
Lead from the heart under God’s leadership—
not as a way to gain finances dishonestly but
as a way to eagerly and cheerfully serve.
Don’t be controlling tyrants
but lead others by your beautiful examples to the flock.
1 Peter 5:1-3
We don’t ‘own’ these people entrusted to us, they belong to God. It is our job to care for them, to guide them. To lead by example and not domineer.
But what I realized when reading this chapter is that we are all elders to someone. We are all called to serve, we are all called to be an example, we are all called to have compassion and help with tender care. We are all called to lift up. We are all elders and when I realized that, I also realized that it flips the other way… we are also all still ‘young in the faith’ and we are all called to submit under good teaching, and called to support our elders while they serve us. (v5)
It is all summed up in one relationship goal:
“In every relationship, each of you must wrap around yourself the apron of a humble servant.”
1 Peter 5:5
