The Following Article is For Christian Leaders Who Want to Reflect Christ, Not Just Have Influence and Sell a Brand. It motivates us to have the character of leaders like Timothy.
- Philippians 2:19-21 NKJV But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you shortly, that I also may be encouraged when I know your state. 20 For I have no one like-minded, who will sincerely care for your state. 21 For all seek their own, not the things which are of Christ Jesus.
I recently came across an advertisement that shocked me, as it originated from the leader of an organization I have admired over the years. He has previously taught the concept of servant leadership. The advertisement reveals where the Church Leadership Industry of the past 60 years has hijacked Jesus’ design and taken us captive. Here is the advertisement.
Attention Coaches, Speakers, & Trainers:
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Interested in becoming _______ Certified so you can easily charge $2K-6 Figures for speaking, coaching, and training engagements and make a bigger impact as a part of the ________network?
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_______ Certified Leaders are trusted by global brands such as:
There’s an exciting opportunity for Coaches, Speakers, and Trainers who want to:
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Legacy: So they can build a legacy, have more flexibility and income, and make a bigger impact in their community…
“Expand Offerings, Boost Credibility, Make a Bigger Impact, Create Lasting Influence.” More and more, these kinds of messages fill our inboxes and leadership spaces. They promise numbers, influence, income, and impact. They present a fast track to “leadership success” through training, networking, coaching, and certification, all geared toward building a platform, increasing numbers, creating visibility, and leveraging your voice.
Is this the kind of leadership Jesus revealed as His design for His house? How about His response to James and John’s mother when she requested that He give her sons a prominent leadership position (“as Your right and left hand”) in His coming Kingdom?
- Matthew 20:24-28 ESV And when the ten heard it, they were indignant at the two brothers. (25) But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. (26) It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, (27) and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, (28) even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
The Current Leadership Industry
There has come to be what I call a “Leadership Industry” that has arisen over the past 60 years with its origins in what has come to be identified as the “Church Growth Movement,” which began in the 1960s. Through the work of Donald McGavran, a missionary and missiologist who helped found the School of World Mission at Fuller Theological Seminary and was later succeeded by C. Peter Wagner, who expanded and popularized McGavran’s ideas, the current leadership industry got its start. A research and teaching initiative within the school, often referred to as the Institute of Church Growth, gained traction and momentum in the decades that followed.
This movement profoundly reshaped the evangelical world’s understanding of church growth and leadership, elevating the importance of metrics and numerical increase and producing a new kind of leader: strategic, managerial, and results-driven. It laid the groundwork for what some refer to as the CEO/Mega leadership industry, focused on systems, metrics, and influence. It often mirrors the world’s value system. Furthermore, it celebrates the promoted life, the one you build, brand, and broadcast, rather than the received life of Jesus, the one you lose, surrender, and live as a servant.
Jesus never once said, “Come, grow your metrics, influence, or platform.” He said, “Come, follow Me.” (Luke 9:23) And in following Him, the path always leads downward into self-sacrifice, not upward into self-promotion.
I am thankful for the Family of Leaders and Churches I am a part of that hold God’s design for servant leadership as one of our Four Core Values:
- Servant-leaders: We aim to equip every Christian to be a servant-leader, in the home, church community and at work. Anointed servant leadership, as Jesus taught and modelled, is vital in order to build up everyone in the Body of Christ, and help all to grow to full maturity and fulfil their God-given destiny.
Let’s be clear: there’s nothing wrong with growth, strategy, or structure. God is a God of order. But over the last six decades, many church leadership models have been shaped more by Hollywood, Wall Street and Madison Avenue than by Gethsemane and the Upper Room. Here’s what we’ve seen:
- Mega models that prize scale over substance.
- Brand building that prizes name recognition over spiritual authority through servanthood.
- Church planting franchises that replicate methods but lack a covenant family.
- Pastors turned CEOs who measure success in followers, funds, and facilities.
This approach subtly taught us that personal influence is the goal, not intimacy with Christ. It told us that visibility equals value. It created leadership ladders when Jesus taught us to descend into greatness.’
Consistent Steps to Pursue and Remain in God’s Design for Servant Leadership
Here are some daily, consistent steps we need to take to avoid the Celebrity/CEO leadership industry and embrace the design of God.
Daily embrace Jesus’ call to die to self: Stop measuring success by visibility, applause, or followers. Measure it by obedience, love, and faithfulness in the hidden places. We are not called to the stage or the boardroom, but the cross.
- Luke 9:23 If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me
Pick Up the Towel, Not the Title: In John 13, Jesus washed feet instead of demanding honor. Do acts of quiet, behind-the-scenes service. Take joy in serving, which no one notices. Invite your fellow leaders to join you. Servant leadership is not just a teaching, it is a posture you live.
Prioritize Relationships Based on God’s Covenant Love Over Crowds: Reject the model that prizes event-based crowds and online mega influence, and instead build a spiritual family where every member is valuable. “We, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.” (Romans 12:5). Make time to eat, pray, weep, and rejoice together with others in a real way, not just run programs or promotions.
Consistently pursue God’s design for plural family leadership: Stop building ministries around a single gifted leader. Instead, pursue and embrace elders and deacons who walk as a family and share leadership, authority, and accountability.
Celebrate and Value Hiddenness: The world honors the platform, but Jesus honors faithfulness in obscurity. Take time to notice, give thanks, and highlight those who serve quietly. Create a culture that values character over charisma, hidden obedience over public display, and secret places over stages. Remember, our identity and worth come from God, not visibility.
- Matthew 6:3-6 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you…But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
- Colossians 3:3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.”
Make the Scriptural Design the Center Again: CEO leadership reads leadership books, attends seminars, and hires personal coaches to increase their influence. Servant leadership is formed by Scripture and prayer. Teach leadership from the Gospels, from Paul’s example in Acts 20, and Romans 12, not from corporate teachings and podcasts.
Talk More About Sacrifice Than Strategy: Cast a vision for dying to self, serving the lowly, and living as a slave to all (Mark 10:43–45). Encourage people to give, love, endure, and obey even when it costs. Encourage your fellow leaders to embrace this tone and language, not just in sermons, but in budgets, calendars, and priorities.
Stay Close to the Shepherd of Servant Leaders: You can’t lead like Jesus without walking closely with Jesus. Protect your secret place. Live from intimacy with the Father, not the pressure of producing results. Your soul is not a tool for ministry; it’s a temple for the presence of God.
The world has enough CEOs and performers. The Church doesn’t need another polished professional with a perfect brand. What we need is leaders who bleed, shepherds who serve, and disciples who die daily. Let us lay down our rights, our reputations, and our résumés, and take up the cross.
Then, and only then, will we reflect the leadership design of the One who said: “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and give His life as a ransom for many.”
Amen!!!