“But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.”
Our Wired Word study today addresses the subject of leadership and the makings of a great leader. I decided to look at the other side of leadership – what does it mean to be a supportive follower?
We’ve all heard the expression “too many cooks in the kitchen” – too many trying to lead, and not enough working to follow. Even Jesus struggled with this among his disciples as they vied for a pecking order of importance among themselves.
How does one serve as an effective follower? The vision of a stool comes to mind. Three legs of a stool hold up the seat (and the person sitting in it!). Each of those three legs is very important! Let’s look at prayer, action, and attitude as our stool legs. For the sake of our reflection’s brevity, we will look specifically at our church rather than the corporate or political side of this.
Do we sincerely pray for our church leaders – be they our pastor or a small group/ministry leader? They all need our prayers! Leadership at the top can be very lonely and insular, and we have the privilege of prayer to support our leaders and specifically name them before God.
When leaders call us to action, do we answer? It’s so easy to feel that others are more aptly qualified for a particular call to serve. Not that we should say “yes” to every call to serve within the church, but if all participated in some way, we wouldn’t have burnout!
Finally, there is attitude, and this one is so crucial. The Bible admonishes us to serve the Lord with gladness. Serving within a ministry with an attitude of gladness and joy goes a long way toward creating a positive vibe within the church.
As we look at our scripture one more time, let’s reflect on the fact that our church is truly one body in Christ. Each person is important! Each one of us plays a role and fulfills a particular need. May we fulfill that role in a loving manner – praying for our leaders and actively serving the Lord with gladness.
Blessings,
Diana Kongkeattikul
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