{"id":1915,"date":"2012-04-17T10:48:39","date_gmt":"2012-04-17T14:48:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/philosophicalfragments\/?p=1915"},"modified":"2012-04-17T10:48:39","modified_gmt":"2012-04-17T14:48:39","slug":"daily-fragment-jesus-doesnt-want-leaders-he-wants-first-followers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/philosophicalfragments\/2012\/04\/17\/daily-fragment-jesus-doesnt-want-leaders-he-wants-first-followers\/","title":{"rendered":"Daily Fragment: Jesus Doesn’t Want Leaders – He Wants First-Followers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

With all the talk in Christian circles about the calling and forming of leaders, you might think that \u201cleadership\u201d was a major theme of Jesus\u2019 teachings. \u00a0It wasn\u2019t. \u00a0Jesus never calls for leaders. \u00a0He calls for followers. \u00a0Consider this video from Derek Sivers<\/a>, which he presented at TED<\/a>:<\/p>\n

<\/iframe><\/p>\nFrom the transcript: \u201cBeing a first follower is an under-appreciated form of leadership. The first follower transforms a lone nut into a leader. If the leader is the flint, the first follower is the spark that makes the fire\u2026New followers emulate followers, not the leader. \u00a0Leadership is over-glorified. \u00a0Yes, it started with the shirtless guy, and he\u2019ll get all the credit. \u00a0But you saw what really happened[:] There\u2019s no movement without the first follower\u2026The best way to make a movement, if you really care, is to courageously follow, and show others how to follow.\u201d<\/p>\nReflection:<\/strong><\/p>\nChrist alone is the head of the church. \u00a0In the Old Testament, the leaders of the people of God are all flawed, most are destructive, and many are outright wicked. \u00a0In the New Testament, there are worldly authorities, but no kingdom leaders apart from Christ. \u00a0There are only first-followers \u2014 people like Paul, who said \u201cfollow me as I follow Christ\u201d (1 Cor 11:1). \u00a0Let\u2019s be honest. \u00a0The concept of leadership appeals to our pride and egotism, and the concept of \u201cservant-leadership\u201d appeals to our worldly pride (we are \u201cleaders\u201d) and to our spiritual pride (look at what Christian leaders we are, how willing to humble our great selves even though we are leaders!). \u00a0Pride is insidious, and it will finds its way into anything; but I like the concept of the first follower. \u00a0(1) It takes true courage and humility to be a first-follower, for you will be thought a fool. \u00a0(2) First-followers show others how to follow Christ; they re-present Christ, making him visible to others, showing what it looks like to strive to follow Christ in this context, and showing that such striving is possible. \u00a0(3) The true leader gets the glory, and the first-follower celebrates the leader instead of himself. \u00a0(4) What Sivers describes as the \u201ctipping point\u201d is arguably where the church goes astray, where following becomes the \u201cin\u201d thing to do. \u00a0But we \u201cfollow\u201d Christ when we live the life of genuine striving and sacrifice and suffering to which he calls us; when we succeed at that, following Christ will never be attractive to worldly values; when we fail, the church becomes indistinguishable from the world. \u00a0As long as we have followers and not leaders, the church will remain the church.<\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"With all the talk in Christian circles about the calling and forming of leaders, you might think that \u201cleadership\u201d was a major theme of Jesus\u2019 teachings. \u00a0It wasn\u2019t. \u00a0Jesus never calls for leaders. \u00a0He calls for followers. \u00a0Consider this video from Derek Sivers, which he presented at TED: From the transcript: \u201cBeing a first follower […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":30,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[830],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1915","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-daily-fragment"],"yoast_head":"\n<title>Daily Fragment: Jesus Doesn't Want Leaders - 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