New Years is a time leaders reflect, recalibrate, and refocus for the year ahead. Servant leaders do the same but as they do so they also ask, “What are God’s goals for my life and what do I need to do this year to accomplish them?” We may need to remind ourselves of His overall goal for each of us that He gave 2000 years ago: Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20). Jesus gave this commission to His disciples and to us today. His goal or mission for us is clear: to make disciples. We should ensure that we include two elements of His mission in our plan for this year.

Be disciples.

Before going and making disciples Jesus calls us to be disciples. A disciple is simply one who is following and learning. What does this imply for servant leaders? “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19). His intent is clear; we are to follow Jesus in ways that result in bringing others to Him. Following should lead to fishing! Servant leaders desire to follow more each year so that they can influence more each year. They identify areas of disobedience and set goals that lead to obedience. They also continue to learn as disciples. They recognize that they never graduate from the school of discipleship. They have a passion to grow and set goals to move them in the direction of becoming more like Jesus. Where is God inviting you to learn this year? What will you do to be a growing disciple? What will you do to make it happen? Servant leaders set goals to be disciples.

Make disciples.

Christ’s mission for each of us is to make disciples. He expects us to make progress this year in making disciples! Every believer, and especially leaders, should be influencing those who are not yet disciples to come to Jesus. With so many good leadership activities and goals, it is easy to forget that this is our core calling. Many leaders focus on increasing their income or attendance as they make plans for the year. Jesus calls servant leaders to focus on making disciples. We need to do this in at least two arenas: locally and globally. Jesus made it clear that the disciple making process begins at home, our “Jerusalem.” (See Acts 1:8). Servant leaders look around at those near them to see who they can influence in discipleship. They see family at home, associates at work, relationships at school, and partners in business all as potential disciples. As they make goals for the year, they prayerfully focus on key relationships and find time to invest in influencing these persons to become disciples. Servant leaders make disciples at home but also acknowledge that Jesus’ goal is for disciples of “all nations” and they have a part to play globally. Leaders create change, and there is no greater cause for servant leaders than the current global realities 2,000 years after Jesus’ command. Our world has more than 7.3 Billion people. Of these, over 2 Billion have never even heard Jesus’ call to follow Him! Servant leaders do not accept this situation and take active steps to make a difference. They accept the challenge to pray daily for God to send workers to the harvest (Matthew 9:37). They give finances to see disciples made in the unreached areas of our world (Matthew 6:21). And they are willing to go in obedience to Jesus’ command, unless God calls them to stay and support those who go!

Servant leaders make goals to ensure that this will be a year of being a disciple and making disciples. They lead on His Mission as partners in the Great Commission!

For further reflection and discussion:

• Reflect on last year. In what ways did you learn and grow as a disciple? In what ways did this increase your influence in the lives of others?
• In what specific area of your life does God desire for you to learn and grow this year? What specific actions can you take to develop as a disciple in this area? (Write down your goals and share them with someone who can hold you accountable.)
• How is God inviting me this year to make disciples at home? In my vocation? In my community? What specific goals should I make to obey?
• Who do I know personally who is not currently a follower of Jesus in whom God wants me to invest time and effort this year to bring to Him? What is my current level of relationship with this person? What steps can I take to increase my influence in their life? What needs to change in my schedule to allow this to happen?
• What is God’s goal for me this year in response to the 2 Billion who have never heard? In what specific ways will this impact my praying? My giving? My going?

The fulfillment of the Great Commission rests squarely on the shoulders of leaders. Jesus commissioned His leaders with these words, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age" (Matthew 28:18-20). 2000 years later the task is not complete and the harvest is ripe as never before. Jesus’ call is more urgent than ever and requires servant leaders to rise up, see the need for workers, equip workers and release them into the nations. In this issue, we’ll explore the role servant leaders fulfill in releasing workers for the harvest.

Servant leaders are willing to be workers in the harvest.

Servant leaders first of all recognize that God can use them in any location He chooses. They do not determine for themselves where they will serve. As they cry out to God in prayer for workers, and as they do all they can to identify and equip the workers under their care, they are also ready to be the workers they pray for. In some cases, this simply means greater levels of obedience in their current roles and areas of influence. In other cases, they will hear God’s call to move to another location and accept a different assignment. Servant leaders listen to the Lord of the harvest and say like Isaiah, “Here am I. Send me!” (Isaiah 6:8).

Servant leaders are willing to release workers for the harvest.

Those who see their role as identifying and equipping workers for the harvest must also be willing to release workers if and when God calls them to move. A parent may be called to bless a child to live far away for the sake of the Great Commission. Pastors may need to release their best elder to a new location. Business owners may be called to release an excellent manager from their company to serve in another place where the light of Jesus is needed. It is not easy for any leader who has invested time and energy in the life of someone to see them move on. It requires the heart of a servant who is intent not on building his own kingdom, but that of the Father. Servant leaders find joy in knowing that God used them to help prepare and equip this person for the next assignment.

Servant leaders are willing to support workers in the harvest.

The work of the Great Commission requires resources. This may include training harvest workers to be self-supporting or it may include providing financial support for their work. Paul demonstrates both models of support in his church planting efforts. Leaders who focus all their energy on their own organization will not be willing to give resources to an ‘outside’ cause. But servant leaders are happy to support the work that God is doing in and through His workers. They freely and cheerfully give to support local initiatives in which God’s kingdom is extended and also eagerly give to workers who are reaching the 2 billion who have not yet heard. They do not see this giving as a drain on their own resources; instead they eagerly ask God to give them ideas and ways to increase their own ability to give. Pastors look for ways that they can increase the percentage of their budget to areas directly related to the Great Commission. Business leaders give generously as God blesses their work and sometimes begin a business with the sole intent of using the profit for the Great Commission. Professionals are careful to invest portions of their income into Great Commission work. In all these areas, a heart of service is reflected for those who have not yet known the love of Jesus.

Servant leaders do not live for their own dreams; they live to see the dream of Jesus fulfilled in their lifetime, to see disciples in every nation and among every people. May it be so!

For further reflection and discussion:

• Have you ever considered that God may call you to move to another location, another position, or a very different assignment from where you are currently? How would you know He is calling you and how would you respond?
• How would you feel if one of your key leaders told you they believed God is leading them to another place? What does this indicate about your level of passion for God’s work?
• In what ways do you already support the work of the Great Commission? Take a moment to ask God if there are additional ways you can reflect His heart for the nations?

Great leaders equip and release others to accomplish good things, but not many leaders see the connection between their equipping and the Great Commission. In the last issue we noted that servant leaders see the need for workers to accomplish the ultimate task of leadership and join in prayer that God will raise up those workers. They know that their own leadership is directly connected to Jesus’ words, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age" (Matthew 28:18-20). Servant leaders equip workers to fulfill this call.

Servant leaders equip workers by identifying calling.

Great coaches identify the strengths of each of their players, and leaders identify the unique calling of everyone on their team. Some do this for their own benefit and to accomplish their own objectives, but servant leaders realize that since God has called each person to be a part of the Great Commission, their role as leaders is to help their followers identify their specific calling. Some will be called to plant churches among the unreached or to church leadership. But others will be called to shape the life of a young man in the community by coaching the football team; others will be called to excellence in the teaching profession and others in business. In any realm, servant leaders recognize that the gifts of those whom God has entrusted to their leadership are ultimately about discipling the nations and bringing God’s rule into their sphere of influence. Church leaders see their members as workers for the Great Commission. Likewise, business owners see their workers as either potential followers of Jesus or disciple-makers called to participate in the Great Commission. All servant leaders use their influence to help those under them see this reality.

Servant leaders equip workers by developing gifts.

Identifying gifts helps to focus potential in a certain area, but every person can develop these gifts to be used more fully for the advancement of God’s Kingdom. Servant leaders see their role as helping to “prepare God’s people for works of service” (Ephesians 4:12). They encourage, correct, train, and provide opportunities so that those under their leadership will become more effective and focused on doing their part of the Great Commission. This role of equipping will greatly strengthen the local church, the business, or the classroom where the servant leader is working. But servant leaders see equipping as a way to fulfill the Great Commission. Every person and every gift is needed for the fulfillment of Jesus’ commission and servant leaders equip followers to do their part.

Servant leaders equip workers by expecting obedience.

Jesus made it clear to His leadership team that their work is teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. Servant leaders seek to bring every person on their team to a greater level of obedience to the commands of Christ. This includes how they talk, relate to authority, handle finances, care for their bodies, treat their environment, and share with the needy, as well as how they fulfill the Great Commission. Servant leaders measure their success not by the size of their team or the financial strength of their organization, but by the amount of increased obedience to the call of Jesus. Think about your team. Are they growing in obedience?

Servant leaders continually look at their world of influence and ask, “How can I use my influence to bring more people to Jesus, how can I disciple them and equip them to be a part of what God has created them to do?” Servant leaders recognize that their equipping is for an ultimate goal: bringing the nations to Jesus.

For further reflection and discussion:

• How would you rate your effectiveness as a leader who equips others? Reflect on the purpose of your equipping; is it to accomplish your own goals or God’s goals for those you lead? What difference will it make in your day to day leadership if you focus on equipping persons to fulfil the Great Commission?
• If you are in business leadership, how does your business help fulfill the Great Commission? What impact does your business have on individuals who work with you? Think about your suppliers and customers. How are your profits used for Great Commission work? Do you see those who work for you as either potential disciples or disciple-makers whom God has entrusted to you for equipping? What difference would it make if you saw them this way? How can you communicate this to them? What does obedience mean on your team?
• If you are a church leader, in what specific ways are you helping your members be more faithful to the Great Commission? Are you actively equipping them to walk in obedience to all the commands of Jesus? In what ways have you focused on building your own church instead of strengthening God’s kingdom? What changes do you think God is calling you to make?
• Reflect on your leadership at home. As you equip your children, are you thinking of preparing them to be workers for the Great Commission? What difference would this make in your training?

What is your ultimate goal as a servant leader? Is it to strengthen your church, expand your business, or to influence your family? These are great goals, but they fall short of the intent God has for your leadership. Jesus Himself clarified what He sees as our task in His final words to the disciples: Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age" (Matthew 28:18-20).

We call this the Great Commission, and it is the primary task He has given to every believer. Whether God has given you influence in the marketplace or in the church, this commission is for you! It’s not just for the original 12 disciples; neither is it only for pastors or an ‘elite’ group of missionaries. Jesus only gave one commission. It is big enough for all of us and specifically a commission to leaders. In the next three issues, we’ll examine the role of servant leadership in the Great Commission. First, servant leaders see the needs connected to the Great Commission.

Servant leaders see the need for leadership.

Many leaders have never considered how their own leadership is connected to the Great Commission. But God has given leaders a unique and strategic role in this task. Jesus gave this task first to His leadership team. He instructs his followers to go and make disciples of all nations. This happens when leaders see the goal, act on it, and share it with followers in a way that moves them to involvement as well. Without effective leadership, the Great Commission will not be accomplished. Every leadership position, including yours, is given by God to accomplish some part of fulfilling the Great Commission. Servant leaders see the connection between the Great Commission and leadership and acknowledge that their leadership role is crucial in reaching this goal.

Servant leaders see the needs of the world.

The daily news makes it clear that we live in a broken and needy world. Servant leaders see these needs as opportunities to fulfill the Great Commission given by Jesus. Servant leaders also see clearly the reality that two of every 7 people in our world today have never heard the message of Jesus in a way that they can hear and respond. Their hearts are gripped with the reality that 2 billion people are still waiting to hear. Servant leaders cannot accept that we have not completed the task after 2000 years and are moved to action. They also see the physical and spiritual needs in their communities as places where discipling has not yet been accomplished. They see the heart of God to bring His kingdom to their working places, businesses, churches, families, communities, and beyond. They acknowledge that God has commissioned them to, in some way, meet these needs. Servant leaders look beyond themselves to the Great Commission.

Servant leaders see the need for workers.

As servant leaders see the needs of the world, they quickly realize that they cannot alone be able to meet them all. They see a need for workers and remember the call of Jesus, “Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field”(Matthew 9:38). Servant leaders prayerfully ask God to reveal to them how their influence can help supply the need for workers. We’ll look more at this in our next issue.

Servant leaders recognize that their leadership role is much larger than their own ambitions or dreams. They humbly accept that God has placed them in a position of influence to impact the world by being a significant part of fulfilling the Great Commission. They seek to understand that role and creatively find ways to maximize their impact for the sake of the Great Commission.

For further reflection and discussion:

• Reflect on your own leadership role. What does it have to do with the Great Commission? What difference would it make in your daily activities if this was the ultimate goal of your leadership?
• Think about the needs in your area of influence. What are the spiritual, social, physical needs? In what way does God want to use you to meet those needs?
• Reflect on the needs of our world and the reality that there are still 2 billion people without a chance to hear the good news of Jesus’ love. In what way can your own leadership be used of God to reach them?
• How faithful are you as a leader to pray for workers for the harvest? What is God inviting you to do in the area of prayer? Share your commitment with someone else and ask them to hold you accountable.