Episcopal Church Foundation Vestry Papers - for leading congregations

In a world where freedom is often touted as the ultimate ideal, as Christians, we come before that same world to serve in the name of Jesus. That's right, we are servants; not terribly glamorous, is it?

To be brutally honest, servant ministry is a tough sell to our consumerist culture. Nevertheless, it’s been something I’ve been spending a lot of time with in light of recent lectionary readings: Peter, Andrew, James, and John leave everything to follow Jesus. They freely leave their family, their stuff, and even their freedom, to serve. What a friend and model for servant ministry we have in Jesus! Notice how often Jesus tries to keep the attention on those he is serving and off of himself.

When I reflect on servant ministry, shadows of my past can creep in. I used to make my living (such as it was) playing the string and electric bass. Why in the world might I mention this fact? Well, here is the secret you don't know about most of the music you love: it is led by the bass (or whatever instrument functioning in the bass role). The bass is the harmonic time-keeper, responsible for outlining the chord-changes and holding a tempo. And exactly how many bass-players can you name? Probably not too many. Bass-players are servant leaders. The do the heavy lifting and get little of the credit.

If there is a match to freedom as an ideal in our world, it is celebrity. Too often the call of celebrity can overshadow our call to serve. But . . . we are called to serve, and moreover, we often serve in anonymity. The community following Jesus is just that, a community. Our true leaders act like servants and they only do so through the support of the community.

As one who has a platform such as this blog to reach servant leaders who may be toiling in obscurity, I want to take this opportunity to say thanks. So, thanks. Thank you for all that you do. Thank you for freely choosing a life of servitude. You may not hear it enough, but the Church would not be the Church without you. Your work does not go unnoticed and your work is important.

Now might be an excellent time for you to grab one of your favorite records (in my case, Herbie Hancock's Flood, featuring Paul Jackson on the bass), listen for the bass, and know that in that pulsating undercurrent of rhythm and harmony you are right there, represented. You go, servant leader! Know that you are the one making everyone dance.