One of the many patterns I am seeking to re-learn and re-shape in my life is in the area of servant leadership. In both organizational oversight and pastoral/spiritual leadership there is a constant tension between transactional-style leadership and the Jesus modeled, transformational-style leadership.
In transformational leadership theory, the distinction is made between leaders who exchange (transaction) pay, goods, or self-value for the work and loyalty of others vs. leaders who are engaged (transformational) with followers, leading others through example, raising the consciousness about specific values and providing new ways to see those values lived out.
Albert Einstein is credited for saying, “Setting an example is not the main means of influencing another, it is the only means.”
Often I find in myself and see in others the temptation to lead through the exchange of self-value. If I feel valued or important enough, then I will work to gain more value. This defines ego-leadership. Leading because we crave self-value and worth through the respect of others.
This is the pattern that must be broken within pastoral leadership of today. We must be willing to embrace the values of Christ and promote them in the lives of others for the greater good of His Kingdom. Any thought, attitude, or action deriving from self-promotion must be surrendered to the Philippians 2 attitude of Christ.
