To Lead As Christ Did

Well well well, it's been a while, hasn't it? I'm afraid to click on SiteMeter to look at my hit count, and I'm a bit worried about even posting, for fear that no one reads this blog anymore, but I think I will anyway. I've been writing so much lately, it'd be a shame not to put something up here.

I just got back from Worldview Academy for my second year, and I must admit that it was every bit as enjoyable as the first time. I will say this, though: It was an entirely different experience this year, not because anything about it had changed, but because I viewed it from an entirely different perspective. Let me explain...

Worldview Academy is a Christian Leadership camp, training students in how to lead the culture as servants, how to defend the faith and how to analyze the various worldviews inherent in our culture. Last year, I did several things that I later regretted. First, I neglected to take enough notes; second, I did not take the lead in the Evangelism practicum; and third, I didn't ask enough questions in class or speak up enough in small group time. For all of these, I had an excuse: I didn't know what was expected of me. This year though, that excuse wouldn't work.

I was an alumnus this year, so I knew the ropes. I knew what was expected of me, and I knew what I had to do to get the most out of camp. I had to put the principles of servant leadership that we were learning into practice, even when it seemed a little awkward or unusual. I had to take the lead in the Evangelism practicum, which was essentially street evangelism, because I knew that no one else would. I had to ask the questions and speak up in small group time so that I would get the answers I need.

I remembered being a first-time student, and I knew what it was like. I knew that it could be a bit intimidating to go out witnessing, and that indecision could often get in the way of practicing servant leadership. I also remembered that when I didn't know what to do last year, I looked to the alumni to see what they were doing. The second-year and third-year students who knew the camp well were the ones I knew I had to imitate, so that's what I did.

This year though, I wasn't able to relax and let the alumni take the lead, because I was an alumnus. I knew that some of the first-year students would do what they saw me doing, just as I did what I saw the alumni doing during my first year. Last year, anything I neglected to do only hurt me; this year, my negligence could influence others. This year, in essence, was more like real life.

This isn't to say that I view myself as being some sort of trendsetter, or great leader. To understand what I am saying, I suppose you have to understand one of the basic lessons that Worldview teaches: The lesson thatwe all are leaders. Leadership is simply defined as "influence," and given that definition, everyone is a leader. We all have some sort of influence over other people, and it is how we use this influence that determines what kind of leaders we are.

Influence can come in various forms, but one major source of influence is the services we provide. If we provide any service to someone else (and we all do), or if they depend on us for that service, then we hold influence over that person. For example, when I am eating at a restaurant, and a waiter takes my order, that waiter holds influence over me. That influence extends from the obvious question of whether or not I get what I ordered, all the way down to how the rest of my day goes. If I sat down at this restaurant, and a surly waiter shows up to take my order, his attitude will rub off on me. If he messes up my order, is slow, or does anything else that is generally displeasing to me, it will affect the way I go through the rest of my day, and my attitude will change.

So we all are leaders because we all have influence, and we all have influence because we all provide services for others. Therefore, it could be said that whenever we serve, that is when we lead. This is the crux of servant leadership.

As a sidenote, who was the greatest servant of all time? If you answered "Jesus," you deserve a cookie. Jesus was the most humble of servants, God incarnate lowering himself to be sacrificed for a corrupt and ungrateful world. Thus when it is said that we are to be imitators of Christ, and when we take on the name "Christian," meaning "Like Christ," it is expected that we will serve as Christ did, that we may also lead as Christ did. That is what Worldview is all about.

Anyway, back to the relationship of the alumni to the first-year students. The reason I viewed it as my job (and the job of the rest of the alumni) to ensure that the first-year students got as much out of camp as they could is because we alumni are called to serve the first-year students. The service we provide to them is that of setting an example for them, and ensuring that they enjoy the camp. This is our influence over them, and if we use it wisely, then they will have a good camp experience and grow in Christ. That is why I took our responsibility so seriously.

So I was able to take many lessons away from Worldview this year, as my new perspective on it made me get more involved, and thus get more out of it. But now, the million-dollar question is how I will apply what I have learned.

All around me, I see Christians who don't understand how to represent Christ. They don't understand that the world is watching and listening to us, waiting to see if our actions will match up with our words. They don't understand that they are the very source of the world's disdain for our religion, that they are poorly representing something they don't understand, and that it is driving people away.

These people, adults and teenagers alike, don't even see the need to understand their religion, or to act in a Christlike manner, leading as Christ would and thinking God's thoughts after him. I could attribute this to ignorance, intellectual laziness, poor training, or any number of other possible causes, but it really doesn't matter, because all of these problems have the same solution. I must use what influence I have to effect what change I can; by this, I mean that I must serve to the best of my ability those who I feel the least obligation to serve. Not a pleasant thought, but it is the only way for the situation in my area to change. After all, if I really believe this, then I must take action upon it; otherwise, it is a hollow belief, for "faith without works is dead."

Worldview was a great experience for me this year. There is so much I'd like to write about, and so much I've learned, but this post sums up the concept that stood out the most to me, for it is the concept that is the most desperately needed in my youth group. I went to Worldview with the stated goal of growing in my ability to lead as a servant, and now with my new perspectives and knowledge, I am left with a choice: Will I put the lessons I've learned into action, or will I continue on in the same way I have for 17 years now? I pray that I will put these new principles into action, and I would appreciate your prayers as well.