I have a simple assumption which is this: I hope that all servant-leaders want to finish well with our integrity intact. However, I predict one thing will hold true for current leaders and future leaders as it did for leaders before us. It is: *Many will start, but few will finish strong.* History is the story of good and bad leaders who have moved the world in directions both good and bad. We live in trying times in which we need great new servant-leaders to stand up and push aside self-centered leadership. Paul, one of the great leaders of the early church movement, affirms our desire, as disciples of Christ, to be a servant-leader in our generation, in his letter to his apprentice Timothy: “This is a trustworthy saying: ‘If someone aspires to be an elder (or overseer) he desires an honorable position’” (1 Timothy 3:1 NLT).
Servant-leaders, especially young ones, lead others with a vision filled with passion and enthusiasm. The reality is, though, that many servant-leaders quit leading in their forties and fifties and give up their dreams of influence. Servant-leaders make things happen, but people try to stop them. Servant-leaders not only fight our internal struggles, but we also bear the frustrations of others who can wear us down with unrealistic expectations. Many times servant-leaders give up on the battle of expectations and finally give up on trying to win the battle of expectations. It seems to me that discouragement in one of Satan’s strongest weapons he uses as he tries to take us out of ministry. Pastors of local churches are a unique type of servant-leader facing many challenges. According to a book written by Dean R. Hoge and Jacqueline E. Wenger called “Pastors in Transition” (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans 2005), on page 37 they cite six main reasons why pastors leave the ministry. They all relate servant-leadership of any kind. They are:
1. I felt drained by the demands on me. (58% of respondents listed as “great importance” or “somewhat important”)
2. I felt lonely or isolated. (51%)
3. I felt bored or constrained in the position. (43%)
4. I was not supported by denominational officials. (43%)
5. I found a better job outside of pastoral ministry. (38%)
6. I had marital or personal relationship problems. (27%)
Have you ever met someone who has given up on their calling to serve God? I have met men and women who gave up on their calling and I see a person filled with disappointment. The term *calling* is old school but it is vital to persevering through the ups and downs and twists and turns of ministry. Calling is following a higher purpose in life. It is listening to and obeying God’s still small voice. It is following the most compelling of many options regardless of the cost. It takes a lifetime to build a reputation of strong servant-leadership but moments to destroy it. For many who quit, however, it is not moral failure that got the best of them, but discouragement over a long period of time. Thomas Edison was a leader who refused to give up. He said, “Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” True. True. True.
Servsnt-leadership at times is enjoyable and at other times it is a burden. Getting bogged down is a natural part of servant-leadership but the key is to get up, get unstuck, and keep going. We will be judged not by how times we fall but by how well we get up. This requires good old fashioned *diligence*. Diligence means “conscientiousness in paying proper attention to a task, persevering determination to perform a task” (
www.thefreedictionary.com/diligence). We need to take seriously Paul’s admonition on servant-leadership in Romans 12:8 (NLT). He writes “If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take it seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.” This challenge says to us today, if we are servant-leaders with God-given capacities and responsibilities, then we need to diligently keep growing, improving and sharpening our gifts and skills. We need to keep moving forward by God’s grace.
Brethren, soon all the organizations that older servant-leaders lead will be handed over to a new generation of servant-leaders. We are in the season of life and ministry when we need to have a succession plan for our replacement. Whether we are leading a church, a business, a local government or a nonprofit, the changing of the guard is at hand. I am excited what I see on the horizon. I see God raising up a new generation of servant-leaders so we need to lead with our leaving in view. This is not about clinging to a position but all about paving the way for future leaders. Our generation of leaders has a baton to pass to those following us. Let us do it well so we finish strong.
