To the Ends of the Earth: Multiplying Church Leaders — Wednesday
1 Peter 4:10
Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms. (NIV)
One of the most important things I learned from Bible college was how little I learned from Bible college. Now, don’t get me wrong—I learned a lot of biblical knowledge and theoretical ministry applications. But it wasn’t until I stepped into my first student ministry job that I learned just how much I didn’t know. Thankfully, I’ve had some incredible mentors along the way.
One of those mentors is a familiar name around Southland: Jason Byerly. When I first started working at Southland, my immediate supervisor was Jason. He and I worked alongside each other pretty closely during that time, and of all the things he taught me, the most impactful lesson was something he never actually talked about. He didn’t have to, because he modeled servant leadership better than anyone I had ever met—especially to his family. If his family needed him, he was there. If one of his kids was having a meltdown, he was patient and kind on the phone with them. If his wife was having car trouble or a carpool fell through, he was quick to do what he could.
It stood in stark contrast to what my default was. If I’m in the middle of a project, and I get a call from the school about my child being sick, my first instinct is to let out a big sigh and inwardly stew about how inconvenient it is. If someone in my family forgets something at home and needs me to swing by the house and pick it up, I’ll do it… but not without making sure my family member knows how annoyed I am. Servant leadership is definitely not my default. But working alongside Jason, my default began to shift.
In many ways, mentorship (and discipleship) is simply showing someone the next step. Jason would never tell you that he is the perfect servant leader. (In fact, he’s pretty humble, so he'll probably tell you how bad he is at it.) But he was a couple of steps ahead of me, and he took time to show me how to be a better servant leader myself. His friendship and investment in my life have made me a better husband, father, and follower of Jesus. Because of the way he has poured into me, I’m encouraged daily to look for people that I can pour into in return.
Wednesday’s Reflection
Do your friends and family see you serving? Does your family see you serving them out of love or obligation? How can you be a better example of a servant leader?