Help Others

Help Others

John 13:12-20

Rev. Dr. Michael H. Koplitz

12 So when He had washed their feet, and taken His garments and reclined at the table again, He said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? 13 “You call Me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am. 14 “If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15 “For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you. 16 “Truly, truly, I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master, nor is one who is sent greater than the one who sent him. 17 “If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them. 18 “I do not speak of all of you. I know the ones I have chosen; but it is that the Scripture may be fulfilled, ‘HE WHO EATS MY BREAD HAS LIFTED UP HIS HEEL AGAINST ME.’ 19 “From now on I am telling you before it comes to pass, so that when it does occur, you may believe thatbI am He. 20 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who receives whomever I send receives Me; and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.”

“The only church that I liked was the one where they did things my way.” These were the words of the Senior Pastor at the first church where I was appointed. I was the associate pastor who was attending seminary at the same time. I found his words difficult because I thought Jesus told me in the foot washing story to be a servant leader. In fact, the United Methodist conference was holding classes on how to be a better servant leader. For the Senior Pastor, he wanted everything done his way, period. He tried hard to force me to do things his way.

I handled the Youth Group. So, I held a planning session for the upcoming school year. I asked the kids what they thought we should be doing. The Senior pastor came in late to the meeting. As we got started on envisioning our year, he stopped the group and told us that what I was proposing was wrong. That did not help my authority of the group. I had some bad words in my mind to say to him. So, he took over the meeting and did it his way.

He was a true ego-centric person to the highest decree. He told me when I started, we were in ministry as a team. However, he spelled TEAM with the letter “I.” The worst was a young couple started to attend the church. I was young back then, and they liked my sermons. I was given one Sunday a month for preaching. They asked me to officiate their wedding. I said yes, of course. Then the Senior Pastor found out. He told me he would take care of the wedding. I discussed the fact that the couple requested me. That did not matter. Mr. Egocentric took over, and the couple was very upset about this. However, Mr. Egocentric waited until the rehearsal to let the couple know of the change and yes, he forbid me from telling them. I did not realize, being new to the pastorate, that I could have told them about it. I was still under my business way of life, which stated you don’t oppose the employer because of the fear of being unemployed.

This Senior pastor needed a lot more than a foot washing! He needed a complete body and mind washing. I learned what NOT to do in ministry from him.

I am telling you this story because I believe Jesus is 100% correct. Servant leadership is what he wanted us to become. He is referring to leaders and followers. Almost all of us have been or are a leader in some capacity. To become a true leader in the Kingdom of Heaven, you have to be a servant!

I took several management courses over the years, and I have a D.Min. in Christian leadership. The most important axiom is that the leader is only as good as his/her followers. If you want to be a good leader, then you have to have good followers. I also learned that it is the leader’s responsibility to care for his/her followers. This means that you protect them from harm. You take the arrows for your followers. You do whatever has to be done to shield them from attacks.

In pastoral ministry, there are many attackers. No, it should definitely not be this way. I have more scars from pastoral ministry than I care to mention. That is the nature of United Methodist Churches. The pastor is the center of all controversy, especially the ones he/she did not create. It is not like this in other denominations. For example, my mentor retired and pastors a Presbyterian Church. The elders surround him with a shield of protection. When Covid hit my Administration Board wanted to know if I can collect unemployment. His Session wanted to know how they could protect him from Covid. That is a huge difference.