2 Kinds of Leaders...

In my experience there are two types of leaders. First, there are positional leaders. Positional leaders attempt to lead by leveraging their position and power to get others to accomplish their objectives. Positional leaders believe that their position affords them the right to be heard and lead. Positional leaders are often easy to identify, because their leadership is exemplified by the question "What are you doing to help me?" And while positional leaders will often wield power, they often have little authority. This tends to be the case because while power often comes with a position, authority can only be granted to you by others. When things go wrong, positional leaders will often look to others to accept both fault and responsibility, in order to protect their position.

Then there are servant leaders. Servant leaders attempt to lead by leveraging their position to empower, equip, and unleash others to accomplish a shared vision and mission. Servant leaders believe that their position affords them the right to serve others in order to earn the right to be heard and lead. Servant leaders are often easy to identify, because their leadership is exemplified by the question "What can I do to help?" As a result, servant leaders have both power and authority that has been granted by those around and under them. When things go wrong, servant leaders recognize that while it may not be their fault, they are responsible and accept the responsibility in order to better serve others.

Contrary to some opinions, the Bible repeatedly calls for qualified leadership. There are stories and books in the Bible that show how leadership, or the lack there of, can impact others. The Bible even gives qualifications for identifying Christ-centered and God honoring leaders. The tension we often face is not whether there is to be leadership, but what kind of leadership should there be?

Jesus answered this question for us in a conversation with His disciples:

"Calling them to Himself, Jesus said to them, "You know that those who are recognized as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them; and their great men exercise authority over them. "But it is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant; and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all. "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many." Mark 10:42-45

Jesus calls leaders to use their influence to be servant leaders, not positional leaders. So what type of leader do you desire to be? How are you using the influence that you have been given?