When Jesus is Lord of His Church: Leadership

Watch the sermon on YouTube: https://youtu.be/7GgxfXGPfRs?si=Kngv67i5De2JYdoC

Listen to the sermon on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2BZPtjKURcsIeA1CRnJfEJ?si=2157457bb4a845ed

When Leadership Looks Like a Towel

What Jesus Taught Us About Serving His Church

Can I be honest with you? When I think about church leadership, my mind used to go straight to the big stages, the polished voices, the people who seem to have it all figured out. You know what I mean—the ones we put on pedestals and platforms. But then I read 1 Timothy 3, and I realize Jesus had something completely different in mind.

What if everything we think about leadership is backwards? What if the greatest leaders in God's kingdom are the ones most willing to pick up a towel?

The Authority Problem We All Have

Here's what trips us up: we live in a world obsessed with authority. Who's in charge? Who gets the final say? Who has the biggest title, the corner office, the most followers? We've been conditioned to measure leadership by power and position.

But Paul writes to Timothy with a radically different vision: "This saying is trustworthy: 'If anyone aspires to be an overseer, he desires a noble work'" (1 Timothy 3:1, CSB). Notice what Paul emphasizes—not a noble position, but a noble work. Leadership in Jesus's church isn't about the authority we wield; it's about the function we fulfill.

And that function? Leading people to God.

Think about it this way: Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:20, "Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us." An ambassador doesn't represent themselves. They don't build their own brand or advance their own agenda. They represent someone else—someone greater. When Jesus is truly Lord of His church, our leadership becomes about pointing people to Him, not to ourselves.

What a Deacon Really Does

Let's talk about deacons for a minute, because we need to reclaim what this word actually means. "Deacon" comes from the Greek word diakonos, which simply means "one who serves."

When we read Acts 6:1-6, we see the church choosing seven men to serve tables so the apostles could focus on prayer and the Word. These weren't second-tier Christians getting the grunt work. These were "men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and wisdom" (Acts 6:3, CSB). The church recognized that serving practical needs—making sure widows were fed—was just as Spirit-filled and essential as preaching.

Here's what I've learned: in Jesus's church, serving isn't something you do until you get into real leadership. Serving is the leadership.

When Paul outlines the qualifications for deacons in 1 Timothy 3:8-13, he's not describing managers or administrators. He's describing servants with character. They must be "worthy of respect, not hypocritical, not drinking a lot of wine, not greedy for money, holding the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience" (1 Timothy 3:8-9, CSB). Notice the emphasis? Character over credentials. Integrity over influence.

The question isn't "What position do I hold?" but "How am I serving?"

The Shepherds Among Us

Now, when Paul talks about elders—what he calls "overseers"—he's painting a picture of spiritual shepherds. And if you've ever been around actual shepherds, you know they don't lord it over the sheep. They guide them, protect them, care for them.

Peter captures this beautifully: "Shepherd God's flock among you, not overseeing out of compulsion but willingly, as God would have you; not out of greed for money but eagerly; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock" (1 Peter 5:2-3, CSB).

Let's sit with that phrase: "not lording it over." The temptation in leadership is always to leverage our position for personal gain—whether that's control, recognition, or comfort. But Jesus's model is completely different. Remember what He said? "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those in high positions act as tyrants over them. It must not be this way among you. On the contrary, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant" (Matthew 20:25-26, CSB).

The qualifications Paul lists in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 aren't about capabilities—they're about character. An elder must be "above reproach, the husband of one wife, self-controlled, sensible, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not an excessive drinker, not a bully but gentle, not quarrelsome, not greedy" (1 Timothy 3:2-3, CSB). And here's the one that really gets me: "He must manage his own household competently and have his children under control with all dignity. (If anyone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of God's church?)" (1 Timothy 3:4-5, CSB).

Why does this matter? Because spiritual shepherding starts at home. You can't care for God's family if you're neglecting your own. Leadership isn't a performance we put on at church—it's an overflow of who we're becoming in Christ.

We're All Called to This

Now, I know what some of you might be thinking: "This is great, but I'm not an elder or a deacon. What does this have to do with me?"

Everything.

Because Peter reminds us, "You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light" (1 Peter 2:9, CSB).

Did you catch that? You're part of a royal priesthood. You're called to proclaim God's praises. Whether you have an official title or not, you're an ambassador for Christ. Your life is a testimony to His goodness. Your words and actions point people toward Him—or away from Him.

The question isn't whether you're called to leadership. The question is: How are you living out your function to lead people to God?

Maybe that looks like mentoring a younger believer. Maybe it's showing up consistently to serve in the nursery or the parking lot. Maybe it's inviting your neighbor over for dinner and listening—really listening—to their struggles. Maybe it's choosing integrity at work when no one's watching. Maybe it's the way you love your spouse or raise your kids or respond to conflict.

All of it matters. All of it is leadership when Jesus is Lord of His church.

The Character We're After

Here's what I'm learning: Jesus cares far more about who we're becoming than what we're achieving. Both elders and deacons in 1 Timothy 3 are evaluated primarily by character—how they live, how they love, how they manage their households, how they handle money and reputation and temptation.

Titus 1:5-9 echoes this when Paul tells Titus to appoint elders "as I directed you: someone who is blameless, the husband of one wife, with faithful children who are not accused of wildness or rebellion" (Titus 1:6, CSB). Why? Because "an overseer, as God's manager, must be blameless, not arrogant, not hot-tempered, not an excessive drinker, not a bully, not greedy for money, but hospitable, loving what is good, sensible, righteous, holy, self-controlled" (Titus 1:7-8, CSB).

Can we admit something together? These lists are convicting. I read them and immediately see areas where I fall short. But here's the beautiful thing: God isn't looking for perfect people. He's looking for faithful people who are willing to grow, to submit to His Spirit, to let Him refine our character day by day.

The church doesn't need more platforms. It needs more servants. It doesn't need more celebrity leaders. It needs more shepherds who smell like sheep. It doesn't need more authority. It needs more people who understand that leadership is about function—the sacred, beautiful, humbling function of leading people to God.

Your Next Step

So what does this mean for you, right where you are today? Let me suggest a practical plan of action:

This week:

• Take an honest inventory of your life using 1 Timothy 3:1-13 as your guide. Where is God calling you to grow in character? Don't condemn yourself—just notice and invite the Holy Spirit to do His refining work.

This month:

• Find one practical way to serve in your church or community that has nothing to do with recognition or position. Serve tables. Clean something. Care for someone. Let serving become your leadership language.

This season:

• Identify someone younger in the faith (or even new to faith) and invest in them. Leadership isn't about climbing higher—it's about reaching down to help others climb with you. Share your story. Pray together. Point them to Jesus.

Right now:

• Ask yourself: Who am I leading to God through my life? Not through programs or positions, but through my daily choices, my character, my willingness to serve? If the answer feels unclear, start with the person right in front of you—your spouse, your child, your coworker, your neighbor. Be an ambassador right there.

  
  

Remember, when Jesus is truly Lord of His church, leadership stops being about us and becomes entirely about Him. Our role is simply this: to serve faithfully, to shepherd lovingly, and to point consistently to the One who laid down His life for us all.

That's the kind of leadership that changes everything.

Blessings,

Donna