The Heart of a Servant Leader
The Heart of a Servant Leader
Philippians 2:1-7
April 26, 2026
Rev. Cynthia Cochran-Carney, First Presbyterian Church, San Rafael, CA
If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others.
Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death.
Today we are ordaining and installing elders and deacons of the church. We are thanking longtime church staff member Ann Pope. So here is a question question - What is the church? What is our church?
Is the church the building? No. That is one important lesson we learned during the pandemic. The building can be closed. We can worship online. We can gather in homes, or on Zoom. But we are still the church.
Is the church a budget of income and expenses? No. Budgets do reflect our priorities, our commitments, our mission and ministry, but a budget and money are not the church. We express our gratitude by giving. We celebrate the ways God is moving in our lives, our church and the world as we use the building and pay staff.
Is our church a set of beliefs to which everyone must agree? No. We are grounded in biblical stories, Reformed theology, Celtic Christian spirituality, prophets old and new, following the ways of Jesus. Christian Presbyterian household. We are not bound by one set of beliefs. We continue to be shaped by truths from other spiritual traditions. Heart and mind.
Is the church like a body? Yes. You have heard this I Corinthians 12 as we ordained and installed deacons and ruling elders. We have different gifts. Women and men are called by God to serve in different ways in the church. This understanding was foundational for the early church.
If the church is like a body, then what kind of church leaders do we need? How do we want them to lead? What does good leadership look like? Are there examples from history that might help us as we live in this time and place when Christians are in conflict about Christ’s teachings and our country in polarized as we address complex issues of war and peace, resources to provide food, identity and racism? Yes.
Jeffrey and I went to hear respected American historian Jon Meacham two months ago at Dominican University. He has a new book out that includes pivotal documents that he says we as Americans need to read, remember and put into practice as we seek to protect our democracy. These documents and speeches remind us to look at leaders who embodied some of our best characteristics as Americans and part of the human family.
Lincoln’s speech
One of them is the speech Lincoln delivered on the steps of the capitol on March 4, 1865, on the occasion of his inauguration to a second term as president. The civil war was nearly over. Finally the Union armies were prevailing, and the end was in sight.
The crowd that gathered to hear their victorious president speak expected triumphalism, revenge, or, at the very least, satisfaction. Instead, what Abraham Lincoln did in 700 words was ask them to think carefully about a vision of the nation after the war. Instead of triumphalism, he asked the people of North and South, victors and vanquished, to ponder the mystery that “both read the same Bible and pray to the same God; and each invokes His aid against the other. The prayers of both could not be answered; that of neither has been answered fully.” That is a very mature theological statement.
Lincoln struggled with many theological issues, God’s role, and God’s activity in the world. And his religious vision for the new nation that would have to be created after the war included an inclusive theology of a God who transcended partisan causes, transcended even nations, a God who is God of all nations, a God who created and loves and works for the peace and salvation of all people. That is an amazing vision—
Standing on the steps of the Capitol, March 4, 1865, he said:
With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation’s wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.
Instead of regionalism and nationalism—Lincoln challenged all Americans to live up to a greater, & better vision. He modeled being a leader of hope and humility.
Paul and Letter to Philippians and Servant Leadership
2000 years earlier Paul wrote to the early Christians in the city of Philippi with a similar bold vision to a community who was in conflict and whose leaders were struggling:
If then there is any encouragement in Christ, . . . be humble in all things, let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, . . . who . . . emptied himself.
Both Lincoln and Paul seem to be pointing to a style of leadership was remarkably selfless. Leadership is probably one of the most important topics discussed and written about these days. What does good leadership look like in the words and actions of Jesus, Paul and Lincoln?
One book that helped shape by leadership style as a pastor and I aspire to was written by Robert Greenleaf in 1977. He was the director of management and research at AT&T, professor at Harvard and MIT. He came up with the intriguing and important notion that great leaders are first of all servants. Servant Leadership he called it, based on a Herman Hesse story about an expedition of travelers whose central figure, Leo, does all the menial chores and sustains the other travelers with his spirit and songs. When Leo leaves, the group falls into disarray and the expedition is abandoned. Later they discover that Leo was actually the head of the huge organization that was sponsoring the project. (Journey to the East)
“The servant leader,” Greenleaf taught, “is servant first. It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve . . . makes sure other people’s highest priority needs are being served. . . . The best test of leadership is simply—do those served grow as persons? Do they, while being served, become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous?” (p.7–13).
That is a rather different notion of what a meaningful life and meaningful leadership are than we often hear today from some of our elected leaders. It is an ethical challenge to us here and now.
The question the first Christians asked and the question Paul addresses is “what difference does faith in Jesus Christ make in the way life is lived. How shall belief and trust in Jesus Christ work itself out within the contours of my life lived in the world? How do we live in community when we have conflict? How should our leaders act?” Paul is no abstract philosopher; he moves from theology to anthropology, from beliefs to behavior, and in so doing sounds a lot like Robert Greenleaf.
· Do nothing from selfish ambition
· Regard others as better than yourselves
· Look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others.
Paul’s compelling vision is of a people, a church, a church that lives in the world seeking to follow the ways of Jesus. Christians are to live individually and together, as the church, as Jesus lived in the world. “Have the same mind in you that was in Christ Jesus,” Paul said. Paul’s vision for us—individually and as a church—is servant leader.
The world desperately needs that kind of thinking. Our nation needs it. Churches, our church needs it.
The church does have a vision and a commitment to love and compassion, peace and justice, and health and reconciliation.
Jesus washing the disciples' feet (John 13) is the ultimate model of servant leadership, where he flips traditional power structures by having the Teacher/Master take the role of a servant to serve, humble himself, and love his followers. This act shows that true greatness is found in serving others, setting a practical example of humility, love, and sacrifice that leaders should emulate.
Let us pray for our elders, deacons and your pastor who seek to serve this congregation.
And may we seek to live into a bold vision and serve others, living in ways that we are the hands and feet and heart of Christ each day. Amen.
Resources
Robert Greenleaf, Servant Leadership: A journey into the nature of legitimate power and greatness. Paulist Press. (1977)
Rev. Dr. John Buchanan, “The Power of a Dream,” July 7, 2002 Fourth Presbyterian Church https://www.fourthchurch.org/sermons/2002/070702.html
Jon Meacham, American Struggle - Democracy, Dissent, and the Pursuit of a More Perfect Union: An Anthology. Random House (2026)