Servant-leaders

1Timothy 3: Those who do this servant work will come to be highly respected, a real credit to this Jesus-faith.

Paul describes the necessary qualifications for two groups in the church: leaders and servants. After describing the qualities of the servant in general, he presses on to describe the qualities of women servants in the church in particular. Actually, the three sets of qualifications are basically the same: people committed to their families, serious, dependable, reverent, generous, humble, and temperate. People like that, he says, will rise in influence and be loved and respected by all. A person who serves with such Christ-like qualities won’t have to promote self. Rather, the church will, maybe without even realizing it’s happening, promote them, granting them authority and prestige in the church. I’ve had the privilege of knowing some people who perfectly match this description. They are, without exception, “senior saints” in the church. Often, they’ve held elected positions in the past, but no longer serve at that level. However, when people in the church need advice or want someone to pray with them, these servant-leaders are sought out. While, in the Kingdom of God, we’re all valued equally, we’re valued for different reasons. These servants are valued for their steady wisdom and are viewed as leaders, not because they won an election, but because they’ve proven themselves to be “a real credit to this Jesus-faith.”

Take Away: We all need the influence of some senior-saint — some servant-leader – in our lives.