The True Meaning of Selfless Leadership: Leading Like Jesus

Explore the heart of selfless leadership by following the example of Jesus, who led with love and humility.

What does selfless leadership look like?

In a movie, you can read the names of everyone involved in making the film in the end credits, but often in leadership, we simply don’t always get this kind of acknowledgment. In spite of this, the Lord is asking us to steward a heart posture that says, “I don’t need everybody to know because I know who I am, and my value doesn’t come from being acknowledged by others.”

In Jesus’ life, we can see He lived and served others from this place of knowing He was a well-loved child (Matthew 3:17). The Perfect Leader emptied Himself out of love. No one took His life; He laid it down of His own free will. He is the epitome of selfless leadership and agape love.

As leaders, most of us have been presented with both accolades and criticism. We have been supported by many volunteers in our visions and have been volunteers ourselves, working the hours it takes to bring a vision to life. Whatever the season may be, our ultimate goal is to remain childlike, knowing we have a good Father who sees us and is our true reward. Servant leaders build up treasures in heaven (Hebrews 12:2). If you receive accolades on earth, that is as far as the reward will ever go. However, servant leaders build eternal treasures in heaven. If we, as leaders, help someone else accomplish their vision and they are a success, our reward is watching them succeed.

Let us watch over our hearts, champion each other, and invite the Holy Spirit into our journey so that we may serve as Jesus did.

«Be free from pride-filled opinions, for they will only harm your cherished unity. Don’t allow self-promotion to hide in your hearts, but in authentic humility put others first and view others as more important than yourselves. Abandon every display of selfishness. Possess a greater concern for what matters to others instead of your own interests.»

Philippians 2:3-4 TPT

One Minute Watch

with Darrell Farley, Senior Pastor at Hillside Church in Redding, CA.

Selfless Leadership, Hillside Church, Redding California, Bethel Church Leaders, Leaders Network, BLN Engage Membership

A moment of reflection:

Take a moment with the Holy Spirit and remember back to a recent time you were helping someone. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you your heart’s motivation. Were you looking for someone to notice you? Acknowledgement? Or looking for reward in some way for yourself? Or were you truly looking for that person to succeed without your own personal gain?

Ask the Holy Spirit to bring to awareness the moments where we act out of selfish gain. Pray for the courage to see it and repent in that moment. Go after love, expecting nothing in return, that our reward would be the success of the ones we are serving.