To catch up on our adventure through 1 Timothy, click here and read from the bottom post up.
"They must first be tested; and then if there is nothing against them, let them serve as deacons."
Servant leadership quality #6: The deacon (leader) must first be tested; and then if there is nothing against him, let him serve as a deacon (leader).
Just as overseers are to "be above reproach" (v. 2), the deacons are to be such that "there is nothing against them" (v. 10), or, more literally, be free from accusation.
The testing referred to here is not a formal testing procedure; the idea is that these men have proven themselves over time both in ministry and in life.
Sometimes in the church we put people in leadership roles too soon. We need to let people "prove themselves" in "lower" positions first. A leader needs to know how to serve.
Sometimes a leadership candidate's eagerness to lead but not to serve is a telltale sign that they are not ready to lead!
When I was the worship pastor, even though I led worship and produced, I also served as a vocalist in the background or as a video operator at times. We expected upfront vocalists to also participate in the occasional "mass choir." And we expected worship leaders to also serve as background vocalists and in the choir.
It's humbling and a gut-check for the leader to serve in a "lower" role at times. (It's been a gut-check for me to hand over the reigns a year ago to another worship pastor when I took this new position, but that's a post for another day!)
It's a good thing for the leader to put himself and his other leaders in positions of serving below their leadership level, if you will.
It's a good thing to test prospective leaders in these serving positions. If they are having a hard time serving and taking orders, it will only get worse if you put them in a leadership position!
Raise your leadership level: When's the last time you really served someone else and did something that was "beneath" your position? Being a good leader starts by be a good follower. A good leader is a servant!
Do something that you rarely do anymore because subordinates now do it. Or help someone in another department by filling in somewhere on their team for a day. Or just sweep the floor!
And don't wait until you "have the time." The time will never open up. You will have to make the time and make it a priority.
Serving "beneath your position," so to speak, can be very eye-opening. It tends to clarify the pride level of your heart. And, contrary to what you might think, it doesn't make you a smaller person to your peers. On the contrary, it makes you a larger person in their eyes.
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