Voices: Texas Baptists are servant-hearted

In his 1970 essay, leadership guru Robert K. Greenleaf wrote: “The servant-leader is servant first. It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead.”

While this might have been an innovative declaration in leadership studies at that time, he was not the first one to formulate such a concept.

Jesus declared centuries before, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all” (Mark 9:35).

Servant leadership was Jesus’ idea before it was anyone else’s. He did not offer it as a platitude, but he modeled it with his life and death (Mark 10:45; Philippians 2:6-8).

Texas Baptists strive to follow Jesus’ teaching and example. We want to have a servant-hearted posture. We are here to serve the local church. We are here to serve the kingdom of God. We are here to serve a broken and hurting world.

Being a service center

The headquarters of the Baptist General Convention of Texas is not on Rambler Road in Dallas. The headquarters is the local church. The Texas Baptists offices in Dallas and elsewhere are more of a service center than a command center.

Although many Baptists understand the concept of autonomy as it relates to churches, associations, and other Baptist organizations, it is often tempting to think the convention and its staff are gatekeepers or self-proclaimed experts who are too ready to dictate what churches or pastors should do.

It is possible, and unfortunately so, that this perception has sometimes been reinforced by some who work in denominational offices. That is why it is important for Texas Baptists to affirm our aim is to be servant-hearted, to have the posture of service. Churches do not exist for the convention. The convention exists for the churches.

In fact, the convention is the churches organized to cooperate together for the sake of God’s mission. The support of the churches for the convention is necessary to accomplish the work we share, but the objective is not the perpetuation of the convention. The objective is the accomplishment of the Great Commandment and the Great Commission in collaboration with one another.

This means, while the convention can study, research, cast vision, develop strategy, and give leadership to our work together, it should be done with a servant heart. To do so means we pay attention to the needs of the churches, their contexts, and their pastors and leaders. We guide our actions in our effort to connect these realities with the task given us by Christ our Lord.

Being servant-hearted

To be servant-hearted means we listen, not just talk. It means we don’t dictate what churches or pastors should do. Instead, we come alongside them. We pray with and for them. We listen. We navigate. We ask questions. We point them to the Scriptures. We allow the Holy Spirit to lead. That is the kind of process GC2 Strong is designed to be, but it is also the culture we desire to develop.

To be servant-hearted as a convention is consistent with Baptist polity. We are not a hierarchical denomination. Churches, associations, and Baptist entities are autonomous. Texas Baptists is an autonomous convention. We cooperate together voluntarily. We invite each other to collaborate.

Texas Baptists staff see ourselves more as learners than as experts. We desire to form learning communities. We want to connect pastors with pastors, churches with churches, God’s people with God’s mission, congregations with kingdom-minded ministries. We connect with practitioners, strategists, and academicians, and together we listen, we learn, and we collaborate.

Our experience matters. Our skill set matters. Our knowledge matters. Our wisdom matters. But what matters more than these is our attitude. We desire to lead with humility. We want to have the posture of servants. We want the image of Jesus washing his disciples’ feet to form our way.

Julio Guarneri is the executive director of the Baptist General Convention of Texas. This opinion article is adapted from his August 12 weekly update.