Qualifications for Leadership

“Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favor of him.

‘What is it you want?’ he asked.

She said, ‘Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom.’

‘You don’t know what you are asking,’ Jesus said to them. ‘Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?’

‘We can,’ they answered.

Jesus said to them, ‘You will indeed drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father.’

When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers. Jesus called them together and said, ‘You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.’” (Matthew 20:20-28 NIV)

It seems to happen quite frequently.  Certain students come to our ministry with an eye on stepping into leadership immediately.  Years ago, a freshman emailed a request to give the message at our weekly large group meeting.  He had important things to say and  was available to speak the following week.  Another time, a new student came up to me and said he was a skilled musician and could make our worship band sound a lot better if given the opportunity.  And often there are upperclassmen who feel entitled to leadership roles just because they have been around awhile.  

What these students and James and John failed to understand was that the qualifications for leadership begin with a desire to serve others rather than for positions of power and notoriety. It is a temptation common to us all to want to be seen rather than serve, to acquire position and power rather than humbly meet needs without accolades.  We would rather jump to the front of the line rather than to wait patiently until we are called.  

But Jesus has a very different view of leadership than the world.  For Him, leadership begins with a desire to serve and contentment with a low position.  The late theologian, Francis Schaeffer, said you can tell a lot about a person when you ask him to clean the toilets.  Those who balk at doing lowly tasks are not yet ready for leadership in the Kingdom.  

When we are considering students for leadership positions in our ministry, we look to see how they have conducted themselves since they became involved.  Have they already been serving others without a title or position as motivation?  Do they embrace doing the lowly jobs like setting up chairs for our large group meetings or helping with a ministry mailing?  Do they spend time meeting needs of their fellow students without a position or title to motivate them?  If so, then they have the qualities for ministry leadership.  

Today, remember that leadership in the Kingdom of God is not about a title or position of power.  It is about an attitude of service.   This is the example that was left to us by Jesus and you would be wise to follow it.

© Jim Musser 2013