Servanthood: Position, Title or Worship

[Holly Spence]

Servanthood: Position, Title or Worship?

“O come let us worship and bow down:
let us kneel before the Lord our maker”
Psalms 96:6


Webster’s Definition of Servant - one that performs duties about the person or home of a master or personal employer.

Hebrew Definition of Servant - eded (5650) from the root word abad (5647), which means to work.

Greek Definition of Servant - doulos (1401) from the root word deho (1210) to bind or bond, translated as slave or servant.
The most popular definition we are familiar with is the Greek definition diakonos (1249) –an attendant, a waiter teacher, pastor, deacon, minister or servant.

Often we may have the opinion that a certain level of achievement or status has been reached if we have someone wait on us. In many churches, some people are looking to be elders, pastors or bishops and think that the title of servanthood should be removed. This conventional opinion has created murals of egos on the canvas of our churches today.

In every position within the church there is some level of servitude that takes place. A bishop or pastor serves those entrusted into their care, through counseling, development or building of faith through the Word of God, etc. Elders and deacons are put in place to further assist the pastor to serve the people of God.

Regardless of the title, bishop, elder/pastor, deacon, steward/trustee, worship leader, grounds keeper, director of the usher board, head armor bearer, chief of the sound ministry or children’s church coordinator, you are in a position of servanthood. Some of the greatest leaders in the bible are referred to as servants opposed to a title, for example Moses, Joshua, Elijah, Paul, Priscilla and many more.

So often we have a spiked temperature of desire for a certain title or position in the church. We think that having a title makes us great in the Kingdom of God, or it makes us look and feel important in the Body of Christ. Changing our hearts and minds by the Word of God will produce a natural fever-reducing antidote to this unbalanced desire. Position and title come along with responsibility, persecution, inconvenience, flexibility, selflessness, a submitted life and a glad heart. We want positions and a title in ministry, but are not willing to commit to the sacrifice that it requires. We falsely believe that a position and title gives an increased level of respect.

If you need a position and title to make you feel important there is an inadequacy in you that must be corrected.
Excerpt from "Servantleadership The Heart That Serves" by Holly Spence available online at www.amazon.com or www.monarchpublicationsllc.webs.com