Bob on Leadership
Servant Leadership in a Power-Based World.
In a world where power and position are the symbols of success, Uncommon Leadership: Servant Leadership in a Power-Based World challenges Christian leaders to rethink the common teaching in most leadership "how-to" books. Presenting a refreshing change, Bob encourages people to return to the biblical principles of God's higher way of thinking and acting. Leaders are urged to use position and authority to serve rather than control.
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WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT BOB'S BOOK:
Bob has touched upon an approach to leadership that is both biblical and practical. His concepts are well stated and documented. The style of writing is easily understood, but has great depth. I highly recommend his book to leaders in all cultures and areas of service.
JOE GRANA, PH.D.
CHRISTIAN MINISTRIES DEPARTMENT HEAD
HOPE INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY
FULLERTON, CALIFORNIA
This book is a must read for all those who are hungry to lead God's people the right way. In this book Bob draws our attention to one of the most critical issues in how to be a servant leader as Jesus was. This book is prophetic to the church leadership in Africa, and in tune with the times, while being faithful to Scripture. It is thoughtfully upbeat, practical and brave.
EMMANUEL ZIHOVE
DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY BIBLE STUDIES INTERNATIONAL FOR SOUTHERN AFRICA
HARARE, ZIMBABWE
Dr. Bob Kuest put the biblical leadership principles in a way that can be understood by every Christian in every corner of the world, regardless of education level. This is the book for today's church leaders for their future ministry.
AHTAPA SINLEE
FOUNDER/DIRECTOR
ASIAN GOSPEL OUTREACH
PAMADANG, THAILAND
In Uncommon Leadership Bob shows how servant leadership is not just a catch phrase but the very core of what God intended a leader to demonstrate. This book is not just for the newly emerging church, but should be read by every pastor, elder and aspiring church leader in North America. The established church needs this book. My prayer is that biblical leadership in coming generations will no longer be "uncommon."
PHIL HUDSON
PRESIDENT
NEW MISSION SYSTEMS INTERNATIONAL
February 5, 2007
Samuel - Definer of To Rule
Written by Bob Kuest
When young Rehoboam was appointed to the throne after the death of his father, Solomon, his first decision at King was, “what kind of ruler should I be?” His father had learned from his father before him how to “rule in righteousness,” however, Solomon began to be influenced by the nations around him and their models of “ruling in power.” Shortly after Rehoboam took the throne a delegation of his followers came to him to plead that he would rule more like his grandfather, David. Rehoboam asked for three days to consult and make his decision.
First Rehoboam asked the men who had been his father’s advisors. They counseled him to not see his leadership as power over the people. However, the young king did not care for their answer. He called a group of consultants his own age. They said, “Show them your power. Let them know you are the ruler.”
“What kind of ruler shall I be?” What has become known as “Rehoboam’s Choice” has been passed been passed to every man and woman who has ever accepted the responsibility of leadership. However, those who seek the heart of God desiring to rule according to His design face a difficult quest to find a godly definition of ruling.
The concept of ruling has been with man since the beginning of time when God told Adam that he would rule over all the animals, birds, etc (Gen 1:26 & 28). Did this mean that Adam would have absolute control over what the animals did, or did it mean that Adam would have a responsibility to care for them? It is the same decision that Rehoboam faced.
There are two reasons that the concept of ruling presents a problem for Christian leaders. First, the word rule is used in scripture. Second, because false concepts of ruling exist all around us, from the villages to national capitals. Leaders must choose.
Most of the words for leadership that are used in the original languages of the Bible have to rule as a first or alternative translation. Translators have exacerbated the problem by choosing words based on their on philosophy or tradition. Because of this, good men and women have searched their scriptures reading through traditional eyes and have seen that the Bible does say rule. Therefore, they assume they must lead God’s people with a heavy hand of control as do those in their traditional experience.
To try to get an understanding what God was meaning when he told Adam to rule over all the animals and what He desires for men and women who step to the front to lead people, let us make a comparison between the two main leadership worldviews that arise throughout history. Let us reexamine the concept of ruling so that when we face Rehoboam’s Choice, we will make the correct decision.
The first worldview is Ruling for Others; as seen in God’s relationship with Adam and Eve. This view of rule is presented in the writings of Moses and the prophets. The second worldview is Ruling for Self,; the alternative that the serpent gave God’s children in the garden.
Ruling for Others – to rule means to take responsibility for
There are many Biblical examples of men and women who followed God’s plan for ruling, whether it is over people or animals. However, the best contrast takes place under the leadership of the Prophet Samuel.
Samuel led Israel for over twenty years (1 Sam 7:15, 26). As a young boy he had been brought to the temple to be raised in all the ways of the Lord (1 Sam 1:28). During this time he would have studied about Eden where, as the Creator and Ruler of the world, God built relationship with His creation. He talked to them and listened to their cares. He saw their needs and used His position and power to meet those needs. Genesis 1:16 details how God put His spirit in man so that he could have dominion.
The spirit of God is love (1 John 4:8). Samuel would have learned this truth and it would exemplify his leadership. Since love is the spirit of God, then ruling must be done as an act of love – taking responsibility for, rather than dominating.
Samuel’s would have included God’s covenant with Abraham (Gen 12:1-4). God told Abraham that through him his people and the surrounding nations would be blessed. God was not giving Abraham the right to control people; He was giving him the responsibility to bless them. Samuel would have seen how this was played out not only in Abraham’s life, but also the actions of his immediate lineage – Isaac and Jacob. All three men were rulers over their house. All three men saw ruling as providing for, protecting and blessing their people.
Samuel would have known the history of Moses and Joshua, the greatest leaders before his time. He would have learned how these two men shepherded the people (Num 27:16-17). They saw ruling as being responsible for guiding, caring and encouraging as well as setting boundaries so people could walk in God’s blessing. Samuel would have studied the law given to Moses, “Do not rule over [servants] ruthlessly, but in the fear of God” (Lev 25:43 & 46). If this was God’s guideline for the treatment of servants, how much more would it apply to fellow Israelites?
As Samuel grew in stature and favor with the Lord and with people (1 Sam 2:26) he would have also studied the lives of the great judges of Israel that had just preceded him. These were men and women who responded to God’s call to deliver Israel during difficult times. Most were very humble people who saw the plight of their people and wanted them to return to God and experience the blessing and prosperity that He offered to His children. None of them saw their leadership as a matter of control.
As Samuel took God’s reigns of leadership we find several clues in scripture that describe him as a ruler for the people. He did not establish a throne on which to sit, rather he walked among the people to see their needs and listen to their problems (1 Sam 7:16). He interceded on their behalf when they repented (1 Sam 7:5). He was an encourager who was highly respected by the people (1 Sam 9:6). The people reported that “he took no advantage over anyone” (1 Sam 12:3). He saw himself as a deliverer (1 Sam 12:16) and a teacher (1 Sam 12:23). Samuel was truly a leader who ruled with God’s heart. He was an others-based leader who took responsibility for those under his rule.
The people, however, wanted something. The surrounding nations were ruled by a king. Because of their fear of the Philistines and their desire to be like others, they said, “We like you Samuel, but what we really need it a king” (1 Sam 8:5). Samuel went to the Lord and God told him to warn them about what a king patterned after the other nations would do (1 Sam 8:9). As Samuel stands before the people, about to grant their request, his warnings clearly shows the comparison between self-based and other-based ruling.
Ruling for Self – to rule means to take control of
Samuel stands before the people and his first statement sets the crux of the difference between the two views on ruling. “A king will claim his rights” (1 Sam 8:9). A king patterned after other nations would see leadership as position of power to claim whatever he deems is rightfully his. This is compared to God’s view of leadership as a responsibility to care for people.
Samuel goes on to give a list of what the king would “claim as his own:” their sons (8:11) and daughters (8:13) to serve him in his fields and palace, the best of their fields, vineyards and groves (8:14), taxes (8:15) and the best of their servants (8:16). In essence, Samuel sums it up, “you will become his slaves” (8:17). This is the description of power-based leadership where everything is for the ruler and little, if anything, is for the people. When we step away from God’s thinking, this is what we get.
God shows Samuel a young man named Saul whom he will anoint as the man to fulfill the desire of the people. Samuel meets the future ruler as Saul and a servant are searching for his father’s donkeys. A red flag is raised in Saul’s conversation with his servant as they have difficulty finding the animals. He turns to his servant and says, “Stop worrying about these donkeys and let us worry about ourselves” (1 Sam 9:5). The heart of self-based leadership is a sole concern about oneself and how all the people and events around the leader effect one’s potential to rule.
Conclusion
The power of leadership went to Saul’s head as he became so self-based that it drove him insane. For forty-two years God allowed the people to experience what they asked for. Then, He raised up a new king, a man of a different worldview about ruling. David was a man after God’s own heart (Acts 13:22) who ruled according to God’s design to use power and position to meet the needs of people. He was a shepherd to the people of Israel and the people enjoyed the greatest blessings of God.
God has not changed His concept of to rule. However, to understand rule we have to understand the heart of God. He never meant for a person to “exercise rule;” He meant for them to take the responsibility for meeting the needs of people (Mat 20:25-28).
Rehoboam made the wrong choice. His decision split the kingdom in two. From the moment he chose to exercise rule Israel went into a downward spiral of decay. Only four times would God’s light shine again in Israel, each when a man came to the throne to rule in the pattern of David – to serve the people and guide them in their relationship to God.
Today every leader faces Rehoboam’s Choice. To find the counsel we need to make this choice, we only need to look at the life and advice of Samuel and choose to serve others rather than our own desires.
September 8, 2006
Leadership and Grace
Written by Bob Kuest
Yesterday I had two experiences that gave me a new insight into servant leadership. The more I thought about it, the more I wanted to sit down and write something before I forgot.
Last evening Peggy (my wife) and I sat at The Local Scoop ice cream shop located in the downtown section of our small very rural town. I was truly enjoying one of the largest hot fudge sundaes that I have ever had set in front of me. “Why,” you ask, “is this such an extraordinary event?” Well, to understand that question you would have to go back about six weeks to the day I made a commitment to myself to give up ice cream, french fries (my all-time weakness) and sugared sodas until I lost about twenty-five pounds. I have been doing pretty good and have reached the half way point in my goal. For the first time I am dieting and not stressing over it. What makes the difference this time? I made a decision when I set this goal that I would not manage this diet. Maybe I should call it the “no-rules diet.” Therefore, I indulged with no sense of guilt. What a joy!
When I arrived home I went online to see if there were any questions from students in the “Servant Leadership” class that I am currently teaching for Hope International University. One student had emailed a question about our reading assignment on the history of leadership. The result of our interaction was a question to the class, “Why is it that we are historically pulled back to power-based leadership structures?” Jesus set a new mark for leadership and the disciples emphasized it both in their teaching and example. However, shortly after their deaths, the church fell back into a power-based leadership structure. There have been periods in history such as in the Protestant Reformation where servant leadership emerged, only to slip back into the former structures; only the titles were different. Why?
“What,” you are asking, “do these two events have to do with a new insight into servant leadership?” The answer is “grace.” The reason I could enjoy my hot fudge sundae in the midst of a diet is because I am gaining more of an understanding of grace. The reason we are historically pulled back into power-based thinking is because we fail to understand what grace has to do with leadership.
Leadership Management
In the last couple of years I have read several books that have raised the issue of sin management and its ineffective power to help me overcome sin’s power. Managing sin is similar to managing a diet. In the past, whenever I have decided to diet I have only found myself craving more of what I was told to give up. There are people who subscribe to weight programs, read books, carry calorie counters and feel guilty every time they enjoy the smell of their favorite food. Woe to the person who actually stuffs the calorie counter in the drawer and indulges. They have failed; they have fallen off the wagon; they have sinned. Will the diet gods ever forgive them? Will the true God ever again listen to their diet-related prayers?
Sin management usually produces more self-made rules than it does results. If you are like my friend, Guy, diet management (like sin management) not only heaps the guilt on him as to his walk with the Lord, but also opens his eyes to all those fat people around him who are enjoying their french fries while he eats his side salad. How can they do that? Don’t they know the rules of healthy eating? Don’t they know they are causing Guy to lust?
However, the next time Guy pops in to the local burger parlor he is alone. No one is with him to keep him accountable to the rules. He goes large on the fries and a sugared soda from the beverage bar (that he will refill before he leaves). Guy indulges himself and then as he gets in the car it hits him – he has just failed diet management. Guy is such a gainer (it wouldn’t be right to use the word loser in this context). Woe is he for he is unable to do this diet thing that every one else manages so easily. Next time Guy will try harder to follow the diet rules.
Guy pulls himself together and goes at it with a new sense of commitment. He is going to make this work. The next time he sees people eating their fries while he is sacrificially picking at his side salad Guy thinks, “They are weak, but I am strong.” He secretly pulls his calorie counter from its leather-bound carrying case (which also holds the latest diet book – complete with menus and study helps) and begins to add up the calories on the plates at the other table. When he is finished, he gets up from his table, walks by the sinning table, smugly proud of overcoming temptation, he announces to his wife, “You know, I have lost 783 pounds since I stopped eating fattening fries.”
What Guy really needs is a dieting accountability group. This would be a gathering of people on the same quest. They would meet together and discuss dieting rules and hold each other accountable. The person who has lost the most weight will be the president. They will meet together to study dieting and sing dieting songs. They will pat the gainers on the back and scold the losers. They will allow others to join our group if, but only if they follow “our rules” of diet management.
This is exactly the way I used to try to manage my sin. I would make a commitment to never do that again. I would watch others do what I gave up and secretly envy them but outwardly berate them. When I slipped I would pray and tell God that I would try harder next time. However, my trying only accentuated the wanting and led to a greater sense of failure. So, to suave my conscience I would gather with other sin managers and we corporately decide who is “in” and who is “out” according to our definition (which, by the way, is the only one that is correct).
Sin management doesn’t work; and neither does leadership management. Let’s return to my friend, Guy. After reading the latest greatest book on Servant Leadership (like Uncommon Leadership) Guy decided that he must become a servant leader. This is what God wants; the scripture is clear. So, he begins to reevaluate his leadership style. He finds another book on the subject and perhaps a seminar or two. He feels bad because he had not seen this in scripture before. He begins to learn the rules of servant leadership – caring about people, empowering people, building relationships, etc. He is on a quest. He is going to do this leadership thing right.
While attending a pastors’ meeting Guy’s friends greet him and ask, “How are things at Do-It-Right Church? What is your attendance now?” Guy smiles his best servant-leadership smile and says, “Things are going great (which a lie) and we have stopped taking a count because we don’t want to put the emphasis on numbers” (two lies in one sentence). He didn’t tell his friend about Mrs. Opinionated whose latest tirade caused him to want to kick her chair padding rather than wash her feet. He didn’t mention Deacon Slothful who chose Monday Football over their second empowering session. He didn’t confess to having forgotten that Lotta Symptoms was in the hospital again and he should have gone to pray with her. Guy didn’t tell his friend that he was heaped with guilt because he was failing at being a true servant leader.
In trying to manage his servant leadership Guy began to notice all those pastors at the meeting who should be following the same biblical rules he had discovered. There sits Brother Big Attendance who obviously ignores the rules of Servant Leadership; how else could he get a church that big? There is no way he could be a servant to that many people. He notices Doctor Scholar reading from his Greek New Testament; with the amount of studying he does he couldn’t possibly be serving his people. And his sermons, they must be way over people’s heads. Guy observes Pastor Greens discussing his latest golf scores with a couple of cronies; how could they be serving their people when they spend all that time playing? As Guy gets up to leave the meeting he says to his friend, “My people at Do-It-Right Church have grown eighty-three percent deeper in their walk with the Lord since I became a biblical leader.”
In an attempt to get this servant leadership right Guy joins a “servant leadership management accountability group” . . . they are going to help each other follow the rules of being a servant leader. And, only those who follow the rules will be allowed to meet. And, history begins to repeat.
Management versus Grace
Of all that I have read and heard in the last year, the most impacting was a statement I heard in a discussion on grace. My friend said, “There is nothing I can do to make God love me more and there is nothing I can do to make God love me less.” That statement has reverberated in my head a thousand times since the day it entered. God’s hallmark is holiness. That holiness comes in two dimensions: love and justice. However, neither negates the other. God can demonstrate His love for us by bringing about justice. He can hold us accountable for justice and still love us. To see this all we have to do is study the history of Israel.
In my book I refer to grace as ”uncommon love”, or a love that goes beyond common sense. I had a hard time accepting this when it was first introduced to me. I grew up with a sin management mindset. I only felt that God could love me when I was managing to stay pure. I was constantly aware of who was “in” and who was “out.” The problem was, no matter how hard I tried, I spent most of my time “out.” I could not grasp that God loved me in spite of my sin. I did not understand that God’s love was capable of going much deeper than what my mind could grasp.
God’s love does not make sense. He loved me when I was in sin and He loves me now that I have accepted His gift of salvation. He loved me when I weighed 227 pounds and He won’t love me any more when I am at 190. God loves the power-based leader and He loves the servant-based leader. God loves me when I am eating a huge hot fudge sundae and He loves me when I’m eating a salad. God loves Guy when he ministers to Mrs. Opinionate and He loves him when he is angry with her. God loves me, Guy, Mrs. Opinionated, Brother Big Church, Doctor Scholar and Pastor Greens. There are no rules of management that can change this reality – it is His grace. When we try to make God’s uncommon love fit into common rules we get into trouble.
Laws of Grace
As I see it, there is nothing wrong with rules. The problem is what we do with those rules. Jesus told His disciples that He had come to give people an abundant life (Jn 10:10). However, he also warned that there are thieves present who want to steal and kill what God wants us to have. The bottom line (and this can be easily traced from Genesis to Revelation) is that God wants to be in a relationship with His people and He wants to bless us with His love. To insure that we would get pleasure from our relationship with Him and others, He gave us laws that, if followed, would free us to enjoy life as He designed it. It can also be traced that there is an enemy who is trying to destroy that relationship and rob us of our joy. He knows he can accomplish his task by getting us to change our thinking from using laws to promote freedom to using laws to manage people.
Jewish leaders, such as the Pharisees, looked at the Laws of Grace that were designed to free people and they decided that if people were going to really be serious about this freedom, someone should explain how one would know whether or not s/he were following them. Therefore, they began to spell out what God meant when He gave rules like, “Keep the Sabbath holy.” They began to write out a series of rules that were designed to control people’s thinking so that it would be easy to determine who is “in” and who is “out.”
At first people were comfortable with the new rules because they made sense and it was something they could accomplish. Everyone wanted to be “in.” However, the more explanations that came, the more burdensome the rules became. Soon, the laws of grace which God gave to free men and bless their lives, became the laws of management that controlled men’s lives. When we read the rules of eating healthy they make a sense. However, when we attempt to manage the rules they take control and lead to defeat, guilt and/or pride. The same course takes place when guidelines for serving people become rules to be obeyed rather than relationships to be enjoyed.
Grace and Servant Leadership
Recently there has been a resurgence of talk and literature about being a servant leader. It is refreshing to hear as people are so fed up with power-based leadership. However, we are already hearing people use servant-based language to justify power-based actions. History is already beginning to be replayed. There are several books on “How to Be a Servant Leader.” If we are not careful, common thinking will soon turn these “how to’s” into “must do’s.” Then someone or some group will set themselves up as the judge of who is “in” and who is “out” as servant leaders and the whole power-structure takes off again.
The reason that servant leadership is so hard for us to get our minds and our hearts to accept is that we have a hard time understanding grace. With uncommon love there is no need for a set of laws to determine “in” and “out.” God’s love (grace) works to build relationship with His people – even when they are still sinners (Rom 5:8). He serves our real needs and assists us to grow into the people He has designed us to become. Any laws given are to free us to bloom into His plan.
If I cannot do anything to make God love me more or I can’t do anything to make God love me less, then, people can’t do anything to make me love them more, and they can’t do anything to make me love them less. When I comprehend this to my heart, I won’t worry about who is “in” or “out”, or whether I, myself, am “in” or “out.” I will simply love people in a way that builds relationships and meets real needs. I will use my skills, power and position to help others to reach their potential in Christ. That is how grace works.
There is no reason other than God’s grace that I am worthy to be His child. My sin doesn’t have to be managed; through grace God has already taken care of it. Because of that grace I can enjoy a hot fudge sundae, even in the midst of a diet. God’s grace gives me a new perspective on myself and other people. When I look at others I see people whom God loves just like He loves me. If He puts me in a leadership situation, I don’t have to manage anything. There are no laws about serving people, its simply something you do when you love them.