Are you a leader?  Are you a servant leader? 

Jesus modeled servant leadership in a most unusual setting—a wedding.  In John 2:1-11, we read of the time Jesus attended a wedding feast where the host ran out of wine before they ran out of guests. From this story, and others from Jesus’ life, we find what it means to be a servant leader.

Servant leaders…

Serve at all times.
Even as an honored guest, Jesus was on call to serve the people around him. Jesus didn’t come to the wedding expecting to serve. But he still served.

Know their resources.
When the need arose for more wine at the wedding, Jesus looked around and discovered six stone jars. A servant leader does not make excuses for why something can’t be done. A servant leader is a problem-solver who looks for ways to use old resources or discovers new ways to meet a need.

Serve with excellence.
When the banquet master at the wedding feast drank the wine that Jesus had produced, he said it was the best! There’s no such thing as ‘good enough’ with a servant leader. This kind of leader is always striving to do his or her very best.

Serve thankfully, not grudgingly.
John 6:11 tells us that Jesus took the loaves and gave thanks. He didn’t grab them, sigh heavily, and begin breaking them impatiently. He graciously paused to give thanks to his father. When you serve thankfully, as Jesus did, your volunteers and your ministry will be blessed in abundance.

Identify one of these Jesus-style qualities and commit to an action step to move forward in servant leadership. You might even have the opportunity to practice—at a wedding!