I want to be the best pastor I can be. Since the position of pastor is a position of leadership, the truth is I want to be the best leader I can be. Which is why my shelves are filled with books on leadership. Books about the character of a leader. Books about leadership principles, and laws. Books about leading by not leading. Many of them I have read. Others were purchased with a currency called good intention.

Last summer I attended a conference on discipleship. The keynote speaker was author Leonard Sweet and he introduced a different kind of idea; followership, not leadership. I’ll bet you’ve attended a leadership conference before. What about a conference on followership?

Our culture is obsessed with leadership. We are constantly told to be better leaders in our business, family, and church. But why? Because everything rises and falls on leadership? Because we believe in the power of a good leader? Because with good leadership the world would be a better place. Or because the opposite is so undesirable? If I’m not a leader, then I am a follower. Followers get a bad rap in our culture. They are seen as people with shallow skill sets who lack potential. Who, given a choice, would prefer to be a follower over a leader? However, being a good follower is valuable.

It’s valuable because for a movement to catch momentum you have to have followers! If you gather a bunch of leaders together you don’t have a movement – you have different opinions on how the movement should be organized and structured. This is why when Jesus started proclaiming the arrival of the kingdom of God (the makings of a movement) he called follows, not leaders. Read the Gospels and you’ll find that Jesus says the words, “Follow me” over and over again. (Here is a partial list: Matthew 4:19, 8:22, 9:9, 10:38; Mark 10:21, Luke 9:23, John 21:19.)

As Christians, we have our leader. He is the One who goes before us, leads, guides, directs, and encourages us. Our calling and identity as Christians is as followers, not leaders. What this means for our lives is we can’t derive our identity from our position of leadership, whether it be as a corporate or civic leader, parent, or even church leader. If we do, our self-worth will rise and fall with the size of the congregation, the bottom line, or our child’s behavior. We must understand that our positions of leadership are exactly that – positions. Your leadership is a role you play, not the source of your identity. Your identity must be primarily as a follower of Christ.

The Apostle Paul, one of the greatest leaders of all time, knew that leadership was the role God has given him, not his identity. He says in 1 Corinthians 1:11, “follow my example as I follow the example of Christ.” Paul knew that at the core of who he was, he was a follower. And to be an effective leader, he had to first learn how to be a good follower.

Let us all focus on following Jesus well!

 

Andy Lucas is the pastor of Emmaus Road, a Nazarene Church in Fort Collins, CO. Emmaus Road ministers to families and people of all ages in Northern Colorado.