Service is the honest test of leadership.
Christian mission work strips out everything that makes leadership easy. No title, no authority, no leverage, nothing to gain. What remains is the question of whether the people served have more capacity afterward.
- Equip people
Give people the preparation, knowledge, and tools the work will actually ask of them.
- Clarify the standard
Make the standard visible, so people can hold themselves to it without being chased.
- Remove obstacles
Take away what stands between capable people and the work in front of them.
- Step out of the way
Let people execute, and let the capability stay with them when you are gone.
Do the people you served have more capacity after you left than before you came?
Serving people who cannot advance your career is the only honest test of whether you actually believe in servant leadership. When there is no title to hold, no authority to apply, and nothing to gain, the question that remains is whether the people you served can do more without you than they could before you arrived.
Readiness is operational, not sentiment.
A leader's first responsibility is the readiness and welfare of their people. Everything else depends on it. That is not a soft philosophy. Preparation, a standard people can see, and obstacles cleared out of the way are what turn intent into execution. The capability that stays behind is the point of the work, not a byproduct of it.
The context changes. The obligation does not.
My Christian faith is the foundation of this work. Through my church, I have supported IMB missionaries in evangelism efforts with local communities. The principle began during military service, and the setting changes, but the obligation to serve does not.
- The GambiaMeh Meh
- Completed mission work
- Supported IMB missionaries through church-led evangelism efforts with the local community.
- JapanKobe
- Continuing mission work
- Supports IMB missionaries through ongoing church-led evangelism efforts with the local community.
The principle does not need a title to work.