Becoming a servant leader

Becoming a servant leader through putting others first
By Katie Brazelton & Christian Stevenson

Evan Almighty is a cute, summer-released, PG movie about a newly elected Virginia congressman, Evan Baxter, who faces a crisis of biblical proportions. God (played by Morgan Freeman) actually appears to him multiple times and asks him to build an ark. After much hilarity, Evan decides to step up to the plate and obey God, but he is abandoned by his family and friends, who – fair enough – think he's gone mad. As Evan, AKA Noah at this point, dives into the ark-building process by himself, he changes from a brash leader into a quiet servant on-assignment.

The remarkable thing about the flick is watching Evan, an important statesman, humbly do such back-breaking work, day-in and day-out. He seems to have found a level of contentment and joy as he goes about his endless tasks. Because of his calm persistence about his immediate mission in life, he eventually attracts a few followers (albeit his family and a whole lot of animals) to help him build the ark. Later, as a local dam breaks and a flood destroys a valley of homes, Evan also attracts the attention of congress, the media, and the public – as they better understand his visionary leadership. You and I may not be called upon by God to save followers from a real-life impending flood, but we are definitely asked by him to live our lives as servant-leaders.

So ... what might that look like for a Christian man or woman in today's world? How can we serve and lead a group, look out for everyone's needs – and do so joyfully and humbly – amidst so many critics? Read More