Servant Hood Leaders

I was sat watching Tipping Point on ITV while scrolling through Twitter when I saw the heading “Have you mastered servant hood to the person God has assigned you?  The heading was accompanied by a photo of Dr Mike Murdock addressing a crowd. This caught my eye because lately I have been asking myself about the dynamics of leadership and serving.  I have been having many long monologues in my bathroom and in the mirror with myself, and if I am the only one who does that, then I have just confirmed what was long suspected, I am crazy. Somehow I am sure we all at some point speak with and to ourselves especially when the vicissitudes of life causes us to question what we knew or believed.  When people we looked up to and respected disappoints us and we are left wondering, what happened or where did that come from?  Well, recent occurrences have caused me to question many things where servant hood leadership is concerned.

Let me first say that I am a big believer in serving.  Anyone who knows me can attest to the fact that I am a servant and will serve faithfully.  However of late, I have noticed a trend with leaders, and I am particularly qualified to speak on this topic as I have spent many years serving leaders, to be specific pastors.  What I have noticed is that pastors want us to serve and be faithful.  They want us to carry out instructions to the letter and often without allowing their words to fall to the ground.  Nevertheless, it seems the moment we demonstrate having our own opinion, or aim to provide suggestions or recommendations, or even dare to ask a question; it is deemed as “challenging the leader”.  I am struggling with this; for even God allows me to ask him questions. Which of us can say we have never questioned God? We can’t, for we all have. 

Somewhere along the line it seems leaders have morphed into a sect of people who demand respect instead of behave in a way that will earn our respect.  They demand total obedience, yet they abruptly dismiss suggestions, recommendations or ideas that are not parallel to their desires and requirements.  Every good leader should know, people need to feel included and that their ideas are at least listened to and sometimes even implemented.  Leaders demand loyalty, yet will discuss private issues with their spouse, peers or even other leaders without the permission of the individual and the problem with this is, people talk, so often what was discussed will get back to the individual who is then left feeling betrayed or worst, lose confidence in the leader.  They demand submission without a show of humility themselves. But the saints are following you, so if you are puffed up, why would you expect those you are leading to be any different.  They demand service without demonstrating appreciation and when the server decides, this isn’t working and changes their attitude towards the leader, they are treated with disdain and made to feel cast aside.  Leaders forget that the people who serve them actually belong to God and not to the them. The writer in the book of Psalms declares, "Know ye not that the LORD he is God, it is he that hath made us and not we ourselves, we are his (God’s) people and the sheep of his (God’s ) pasture". Psalm 100:3

Whilst, I am a server, I have grown weary of leaders who wants me to serve yet they do not exercise wisdom in their leadership.  I am tired of giving my all in service to leaders who themselves need much training in how to “handle” God’s people.  And I cannot overemphasise my complete lack of tolerance with leaders who still think that throwing stones from the pulpit by addressing things which happened between them and a saint is the correct way to deal with issues.  May I say, it is not! For the church service setting is one that does not allow for responses to be given during a sermon.  Therefore, for someone who seemingly has the “power” at the moment, because they are the ones in the pulpit with the microphone, to address issues between them and a saint is proving that leader to be nothing but a novice in leadership and these novices tear up the church then wonder why saints leave. Hello!  We have transitioned to a place where serving and being manipulated seems to have a very thin dividing line.  We want to serve, not be manipulated.

Therefore, in answering the question asked in the heading of “Have you mastered servant hood to the person God has assigned you? I want to ask, have leaders, pastors in particular to whom God has assigned us, mastered how to wisely lead God’s people? This is crucial.  For we will follow the leader and serve loyally, however, being the leader does not become a free pass to being rude, unappreciative, lacking in confidence, unwise and demonstrating immaturity behind the podium.  Being the leader is not an all access free pass to do whatever you want. For in doing so, you will one day turn around and realise, you have no one following you. And with no one following, you are not leading, you are going for a stroll. (Bishop Norman L Wagner).  

Servant hood requires leaders with a servant hood heart, otherwise, the risk of crossing over that very thin line into manipulating the people of God is quite possible.

Dr Claudette King
Author, Itinerant Speaker, Seminar Presenter, Anointed Teacher

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